Gilded Smile
by The Light's Refrain
Summary: It's business as usual as Jing and Kir set off to snatch a trinity of treasures. But what's occurring in the shadows of these heists, and in the shadows of Jing's own mind? Beware of the power of fantasy. AU StirJingCassis triangle in later chapters. ZOMG UPDATE AGAIN!
1. I: The Light of a New Journey Beckons

_Welcome! Welcome! I've noticed that the amount of fics in the Jing section is lacking, so I've decided to contribute to a worthy cause and start on this story. This story has a lot of mindscrewing in it, especially late in the story. You have been warned._

_Now, this is an AU fic. One reason why this is so is that Jing is bilingual. What language does he speak ?It's something me and a friend have been working on: Chesirian. Translations for when Jing uses these words will be present in the upper Author notes, so you don't stroll down and find out about something ahead of time. I'm not sure just how big a factor this will be, but it will be present from time to time. _

_Pairings are up in the air. It can be either JingStir, JingCassis, or JingOC if I can do it right. I don't know much about Cassis so far, except that's she's a popular match for Jing. Once I read enough about her, I'll decide whether she's worthy of Jing or not XP. Stir is already present in the story, though you won't be seeing her for a while now. _

_Oh yeah, DON'T GIVE ME SPOILERS. I've read 1-4 of the original manga, watched the whole anime series, and have read only volume 6 of Twilight Tales .I like to discover plot twists myself. _

_Like many of my fics, especially AU ones,_ _some characters will have odd OOC moments. I'll try to keep the characters IC most of the time, but there will be times where the plot calls for otherwise._

_Your Chesirian vocab for today..._

_Mah de may (mah dey may)- Five more minutes_

_Kokukon (koh-koo-kahn)- Go away_

_Quaoku (quai-oh-koo)- exclaimation, literally meaning "surehuh!"_

_Disclaimer: If I owned the Jing stories, I'd constantly have my stuff stolen XP._

Introduction

Welcome to the world of Jing, where outstanding treasures abound, races of all kinds live among one another, and where everything is just plain…strange.

Do not be surprised if you come across cute but highly flammable creatures, or pass through a town where almost everyone wears a mask, or even cross the path of a girl who has a painting permanently imprinted across her skin. Such is this world, and it only gets stranger as you travel through it.

But what's this? You don't know who Jing is! Why, he's the Bandit King, the greatest thief alive. It is said that he could steal the stars right out of the sky if he wanted to. You say that's absurd? Nothing is absurd here. The only thing that would ever be absurd here is being normal.

But onto the Bandit King. He has a companion that helps him on heists, a black albatross called Kir. Whenever needed, he can attach himself to Jing's arm, becoming a biological gun of sorts. It's when he's in this state that he can perform the Kir Royale, a green-colored energy blast that can wipe out almost anything. You'll know when they're about to fire this attack: both will shine a bright green before the energy is released.

But you won't need to worry about that. I am your guide, and we will be following this young lad on his journey. Where will we end up? Not even the Bandit King knows that. Do I know where we will go, and what will become of this boy?

Perhaps.

Ah yes, there is something else you should know. This boy, Jing, is a Chesirian. What is that? It's a race on another continent, far from where he is now. They are quite musical, and are practically immune to alcohol. Their country, Cheshire, is known to be quite a sunny place, and therefore most Chesirians are tanned. Why isn't Jing tanned then? Well, he hasn't been there for quite some time now…

Ah, but the most important thing about this is that Chesirians have their own language. While Jing is quite fluent in our language, he still speaks his native tongue from time to time, especially when conversing with another Chesirian. But do not worry, I am also quite talented in this language, and will offer translations.

But what does this boy wander so much for? Is he that driven to steal? Is he trying to satisfy his curiosity about the world and its wonders? Is he traveling so that he can help as many as possible?

Some say he's a kind hero. Others say he's a smug scamp. Which is he then?

But you should know better. Nothing is nearly as perfect and clean cut as it seems.

**1st Shot: The Gray-Eyed Boy of Destiny**

_Your Chesirian Vocab:_

_Mah de may (mah-day-may)- Five more minutes_

_Kokukon (koh-koo-kahn)- Go away _

_Quaoku (quai- oh-koo)- exclamation literally meaning "surehuh!"_

"Hey kid! Time to scram!" the innkeeper barked. He was a chubby man, about forty or so, with less hair on his head than he would've liked. His apron, ever so manly, was covered with food stains, old and new, an old companion of his in the kitchen. "Well!"

The grouchy innkeeper was currently snarling at a splotch of eye-searing orange lying in the middle of a dull, disorganized pile of hay. If it wasn't for the snoring, there would have been no sign of life from the splotch whatsoever.

The man's gruff voice failed to summon the splotch from its slumber, but it did stir something higher up in the barn. In a few moments, a black-colored bird with a crimson bandana descended from the rafters, a sleepy, cranky look on his face. Its gray eyes first laid themselves on the overweight innkeeper, then drifted over to the orange blotch snoring defiantly. The splotch moaned and turned over as some outside sunlight got too close for comfort.

The balding man finally noticing the dark avian hovering over his head.

"Hey crow," he ordered. "Go get your master up."

"I'm no crow! I'm an albatross!" the bird spat back. "And me and Jing are partners, got it?"

"Whatever," the chubby man in the apron growled. "Just get the stupid kid outta here."

"Stupid kid!" the dark albatross barked. "Look here, Jing is the-"

"I don't care if your friend is the king of Zaza," hissed the man, crossing his arms and giving the bird a thoroughly annoyed look. "If you guys don't get outta here in five minutes I'm charging you 40 extra."

Grumbling the black avian glided over to the orange splotch that he was apparently acquainted with.

"Hey Jing! Time to get up!"

"_Mah de may_..." groaned the splotch, shifting slightly.

"C'mon, we gotta get moving!" insisted the albatross.

The splotch buried itself deeper into the hay.

The black bird growled.

"C'mon, I know you only got a few hours of sleep, but if we don't get our tails outta here, then our rent cost is gonna go through the roof!" the avian stated, trying to shake the sleep out of the splotch.

The splotch named Jing continued to ignore the cries of his self-proclaimed partner.

"Jing!"

"_Kokukon_ Kir..." the splotch mumbled, summoning an arm to shoo the dark bird away. Soon after the arm flopped down onto the hay lifelessly, and the snoring resumed.

The albatross called Kir let a frustrated sigh escape from his gray beak. It never failed to amaze him just how impossible it could be to wake up his human partner sometimes.

Kir flew over to an empty, rusty bucket hanging from an equally rusty nail jutting out of the wall. He seized the pail's old handle, and lifted it up with surprising ease for a bird his size. The albatross with the crimson bandana then dipped it into a nearby watering tray, glided back over with a little difficulty, and carefully positioned himself above his partner.

Yep, he was definitely gonna hate him for this.

A splashing sound was soon heard throughout the barn.

"WAH!" Kir's partner exclaimed, erupting from the hay, whipping his head around. "_Quaoku! Quaoku!"_

Having surfaced from the straw, it could now be seen that this Jing was a boy who looked no more than 14. The blinding orange that had hidden him from view was his long, beat-up orange coat, which he had been using as a blanket. His spiky hair was onyx black in hue, drooping slightly from the weight of the water poured on him. His dark grey top, currently soaked at the back, had thin straps instead of sleeves. The somewhat baggy pants he wore matched the shirt.

But the most striking feature Jing had were his eyes. Cool gray in shade, they seemed to pierce anything they laid themselves upon. It was odd, that such a common trait stood out so much from a child, but no one could question the power contained by that boy's gaze.

Right then those steel-hued eyes had latched themselves onto Kir, overflowing with irritation and grogginess.

"...What, Kir?"

"Jing, we gotta-"

"Allright, I'm giving you 10 seconds to get your butts outta here," the overweight innkeeper growled, towering over them.

He took out an antique watch, made of silver and laced with intricate golden designs, and opened it up. "One..."

"Allright, allright, we're going," Jing responded casually, getting up and shaking some of the straw out of his hair and coat.

"Bout time,' the man hissed, putting his watch back inside his jacket pocket. "Now get moving."

"Fine," Jing answered, as he slipped on his blazing orange coat. "C'mon Kir."

The black haired boy stretched out his arm, letting the dark albatross settle on his shoulder. Kir now being comfortable, Jing lowered his arm back to his side and passed by the chubby innkeeper.

As the gray-eyed boy and his bird companion slipped outside into the blinding sunshine, the man shook his head and sighed. He strolled over to where the boy slept and rearranged the pile of hay back to the way it was supposed to be. He muttered about how that stupid bird had ruined so much good hay when he had poured that water over his master or partner or whatever. The middle-aged innkeeper then checked the horses and other various livestock being housed here, making sure all of them were present. All of them were, and he blew a sigh of relief. If that boy had tried to take anything, the little tramp wouldn't have lived much longer.

This was a time of year that had an unusual amount of business, something he badly needed. He'd been completely booked the past few days, and found himself turning away many customers simply because there was no more room. Sure, he could've let them use the barn, but most people were too proud to sleep with their horses. Besides, he didn't trust strangers with other people's livestock. Losing animals that weren't his wasn't a good policy for any inn.

But winter was coming, and the days were only becoming colder and colder. So when this tramp showed up outside his inn, that black bird leaning against the side of his companion's head sleepily, he decided to make an exception. After all, how could he turn a mere child onto the street when frost and ice prowled for prey outside?

It seemed that his conscience had been right to let that boy stay. All that tramp had wanted was a place to sleep, and he gave it to him. He had even paid him in full. 

"Yep, maybe the world isn't so bad after all," he said to a chestnut-colored horse nearby, patting him on the back on the neck. He reached into his pocket to see what time it was.

He felt no silver pocket watch in his jacket.

Eyes widening, his hands frantically patted against the pocket that should've contained his watch.

"That damn brat!" he exclaimed, rushing outside to capture the boy.

But, of course, no such boy was in sight.

**2nd Shot: An Offer Too Good to Refuse**

"Hey, have you heard?"

"Heard what?"

"The Bandit King's in town!"

"What! Are you serious?"

The gray-eyed boy nonchalantly listened to the wispy chatter of the people on the streets of the shopping market. It was just the time of day for this small town's marketplace to start getting crowded with customers. He casually tossed the silver and gold watch up and down like some child's toy.

"Man, what a sucker!" Kir gloated, flying alongside Jing. "I bet that guy still doesn't know you took his watch. Let's hurry up and sell the thing so we can get something to eat! It's been so long since I've eaten I've forgotten what food tastes like."

"Tell me about it," Jing replied, putting away the prize he'd snatched in his pocket and putting his hands behind his head. He heard a few more words from the local folk as he studied his surroundings

"Oh! Now that I think of it, I heard that the Dame of Heavens was stolen last night!"

"Really!"

"Looks like the Bandit King's already struck."

Jing smirked at these words.

Most would take him for nothing more than a reckless teen with a strange taste in coats and hairstyles with a chatty pet bird. Just some kid drifting on through. With all the nasty-looking crooks out there, what trouble could he be...?

Oh, he could be plenty of trouble.

"Of course, we could've had some food earlier if you just sold one of those many treasures you already got!" Kir growled, flying up in the black-haired boy's face.

"Forget it," Jing replied flatly, maneuvering around the black albatross. "They're our trophies."

"But can't we sell just one of them?" Kir pleaded. "Any of them could fetch us millions! We'd never be hungry again!"

As the bird spoke, he tried to pull out a small golden statue of a maiden from Jing's pocket. Her forehead that three emeralds embedded in it, and sapphires lacing the bottom of her sculpted dress. Below her eyes were several small rubies, in the pattern of tears. But despite this, a content smile was worn on her beautiful face. Then again, being a statue, it wasn't like she could change her expression anyway.

Jing hastily yanked the statue away from Kir and stuffed it back into his pocket. He glared at the dark avian.

"No."

"Why not?"

"I already told you why not."

"C'mon!" Kir whined.

"I've told you, I'm saving them to show Mom, when we find her," the gray-eyed boy reminded him.

"Oh yeah, that," the black bird grumbled.

Before either one could annoy each other any more, a deep voice boomed throughout the shopping area.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, come come!" bellowed a middle-aged man standing behind an oak counter. This man had a thick brown beard and was dressed in a yellow-and-white that was glittering in the strengthening sunshine. His wide, toothy grin was almost glowing with friendliness as he waved his arms around in the air. Golden bracelets clung to his wrists, and his fingers were covered with shining rings. A gaudy necklace with a golden spider hung from his neck.

Upon that oak counter was a vast wealth of treasures beamed proudly at passersby. There was everything from bejeweled crowns, to emerald-studded necklaces, to scepters decorated with rubies and sapphires. Underneath all that treasure was a white, silken blanket with intricate purple stitching.

"Jing, look at all that," Kir whispered, his eyes captivated by the continuous gleam of the rarities. "That's gotta be worth at least a hundred thousand gold coins!"

Jing remained silent, and his expression remained unmoved, but his gray eyes danced with excitement as they studied all those treasures so carelessly laid out upon that counter.

"All of this, all of this, as long as you can fulfill my request!" the golden-robed man announced to all that cared to listen.

Smiling slightly, the black-haired boy and the dark albatross casually approached the man and his treasure.

"Hey there," Jing spoke, locking eyes with the man. "You say something about a job you need done?"

"Why yes," the golden-robed man replied, his smile never fading. "Are you interested, young man?"

"Yep," the gray-eyed boy answered. "So, what's this job all about?"

"Oh, it's quite simple really," replied the golden-robed man. "You see, I'm a collector of Greek treasures and artifacts. It's my obsession, you see. I've traveled the far and wide gathering these valuable items, often paying outrageous prices for them. But it doesn't matter to me; I've got plenty of money to throw around."

The gray-eyed boy and the black avian listened with great interest, occasionally eyeing the treasures lying right in front of them.

"But there have been three treasures that have been especially elusive to me," the man continued. "They are the golden apple, the grapevine of Dionysius, and the necklace of Harmonia."

"I see," Jing responded, a smirk creeping up his face.

"If you can bring those three treasures to me," the gold-robed man began. "Then all of this, and more, will be yours. But I will not accept them until you possess all three."

"Sounds fair enough."

'So do we have a deal?" the golden-robed man asked

The gray-eyed boy looked up at him.

"I don't see why not."

"Excellent! Excellent!" the man exclaimed. "It's settled then!"

"So what's your name, and where should I drop off the treasures once I've gotten them?" Jing asked.

"Oh, but of course," the golden-robed man replied. "I'm known as Pharos, and you can meet me and this very same spot. Does that suit your taste?"

The black-haired boy shrugged.

"Allright," he responded, beginning to leave.

"Oh, and one more thing."

"Hmm?"

"There is no payment in advance," the golden-robed man known as Pharos stated, still smiling. "Now put it back."

Jing stood there for a few moments, then walked back, dug into his coat pocket, and placed a couple of studded necklaces on the table.

"All of it."

A few more moments, then out came a large sapphire, three gold rings, a string of emeralds, a silver panther statue, and a roll of red silk.

The eyes of Pharos remained locked on the boy.

Two more sapphires and one diamond bracelet were returned to the table.

"Thank you!"

Jing just shrugged and continued on his way.

**3rd Shot: Outside Looking In**

"Mmm...yeah, that was good!" Kir chirped, patting his slightly rotund belly.

"And we've still got enough money for a few more day's meals," stated Jing, looking over the remaining cash that was resting in his hand. "That should last us for the rest of the week."

"So where should we start first Jing?"

"Well, we might as well start at the top of the list," replied the gray-eyed boy, pocketing the leftover money. "So, what have we heard about the golden apple?"

"Well-"

Just then a motorcycle came into view, its rider's face partially concealed by his helmet and goggles. Wearing brown leather, he may have been around his mid-twenties. Slung on his back was a bag full of envelopes and brown packages.

The hog rider didn't go unnoticed by the boy with the bright orange coat or his black albatross.

"Yo, Postino!" called out Jing, waving to him.

"Hello Jing," the motorcyclist greeted, cruising over to Jing and Kir. "Been a while."

"Sure has," Kir answered, flying over to Postino. "Say, you haven't happened to have heard anything about golden apples lately, have you?"

"Well, now that you mention it," began Postino. "Rumor has it that there's a large batch of them being grown not so far off at Phrenetikos. Although I can't imagine that apples of pure gold would be that tasty."

He started to take off, but paused. "Hey, Jing?"

"Yeah?"

"...Any luck?"

The black-haired boy shook his head. "No. But don't worry, I'll find her soon enough."

"...If you say so," replied Postino.

Afterwards he got his bike into gear and zoomed off into the distance.

"Well, you heard him,' stated Jing, turning towards his avian partner. "Tomorrow. we're setting off to Phrenetikos."

As the boy and his bird walked off, a certain motorist was watching them leave from the top of a hill.

"Just how long is this going to go on...?"


	2. Meanwhile, Locked in the Shadows

_Hey. Don't feel too chatty right now, so I'll just get to the point. I'll be editing the first chappy, since the name I put for their destination has been changed. Also, I'd be adding a quick intro. _

_Disclaimer: Nope, don't own Jing, though I wish I did. But I do own Phrenetikos and the language of Chesirian, so if you steal, you die._

**Shot 4: Silently Screaming**

_Chesirian Vocab:_

_Tetetetete (tay-tay-tay-tay-tay) - equivalent of 'tsk tsk tsk'_

_Ku (koo)- huh?_

_Dia (Dee-ah) - Dinner_

The Bandit King was always on the move, searching for the next fabulous treasure to snatch and the next seemingly impossible feat to get his blood pumping. Nothing scared him from a prize. Adventure was his life, and danger was merely a playmate who tagged along.

But at that moment, Jing was perfectly content to watch the world outside his window pass him by, quietly listening to the rhythmic _chuggachuggachugga_ of the train as it clambered away to its destination. His head leaning against the glass, he drowsily observed the lavender mountains and flowing golden plains roll on past. In the background of the passenger cars he was vaguely aware of casual chatter, children's laughter, and Kir's attempt to woo the cute waitress who was passing out the meals of steak and sausage. A _whap_, followed by a weak "Ow..." let the black-haired boy know of the results.

Sighing and muttering _"Tetetetete..."_ he kept his gaze his gaze on the drifting scenery. Why the black avian wanted to flirt with _human_ girls so much he had no idea. The girl birds seemed to like him just fine.

As his gray eyes grew heavy, he thought he spotted a certain leather-clad motorist zip on by, but he was too tired to be sure. The scenery became less and less interesting, the purr of the passenger car grew more and more distant to his ears, and his senses slowly gave way to fatigue.

For a moment he was a young child, his skin still deeply tanned.

He was in a valley, surrounded by green vegetation covered with snow. In fact, it was still snowing, blanketing everything it touched with its fluffiness. The center of the valley, where he stood, had many little houses placed somewhat sporadically placed. They were fairly primitive homes, made of clean-cut wood, but with odd scraps filling in the gaps.

Right before him was one of the larger, more well-constructed houses. It was chestnut-hued, accented by the snow resting on its rooftop and gray smoke floating out of the chimney. A sweet fragrance filled the air.

A familiar voice echoed.

"_Dia_!"

His youthful eyes sparkled, and with a happy laugh he rushed towards the cabin.

But in just a few moments, the ground beneath his feet grew slushy and slick, causing him to lose his footing and fall. The liquefying ground rose up and crashed down on him, painting him a dull brown. Standing back up and rubbing the mud out of his eyes, he was horrified to see that it was not the only thing melting.

The blue and white heavens were forming droplets on their surface, reluctantly surrendering pieces of itself to the world below. The black-haired boy hurriedly leapt out of the way of the falling tears of the sky, colliding with the ever-melting ground in a panic. Soon there was no more sky, and the ground had just as much blue and white coloring as it did dull brown coloring.

The snow, the trees, and the houses were the next to go. As they deteriorated into a fluid form, the details that made each unique were blended and blurred away. Soon they were nothing more than oddly shaped lumps of color dissolving into the sea of hues, bearing no resemblance to their original forms.

The only thing that held any definite shape in this apocalyptic turmoil was the large cabin in front of the gray-eyed boy, but even this house was succumbing to the horrific meltdown. It was bending in strange ways, with its roof and door becoming distorted and melted. Color ran down from the outside windowsills, making it seem that the building was crying as it dissolved. Soon the features of the house couldn't be distinguished from one another, as the hues became mixed into one huge, spreading splotch.

He barely had any time to scream before the fragile film holding him up above the chaos of color collapsed, plunging him deep into the mass of white, brown, blue and green. It was scalding, searing to the skin, and so thick that it was difficult to move. With fear and desperation, he kicked and pushed with all his strength.

When he managed to force himself back to the surface, gasping for air, he realized that he was stranded in a splotch of chest-hued liquid, the remains of the large cabin. He could still smell the fragrance of the house, but that was the only phantom that remained.

He tried to cry out, but his words were drowned out when a wave crashed down upon him. He scrambled back up to the surface, coughing and sputtering. Painted in the hues of the sea of everything, he was sure that he was invisible to anyone trying to find him. But he wasn't expecting anyone to come; the chaos of color was consuming everything. There was nothing left but a churning, rapacious ocean, growing more violent by the passing moment. It must have swallowed everyone else by now.

Then, from out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a gray mass plummeting from where the sky had been.

It was the smoke from the house, now in a liquid state. A silver comet, it was streaking through the nothingness and was ready to crash right onto him.

With wide, terrified eyes he witnessed the stormy meteor plunge ever closer, letting out a high-pitched howl.

"Jing! Hey Jing!"

The rather unfortunate Kir was answered with a smack in the face as his partner's arm flung out wildly.

"HEY! WHAT WAS THAT FOR!" he screeched.

Jing wasn't paying attention to the dark albatross. Instead he was his eyes in confusion, trying to figure out why he was suddenly on a train with circus-like music playing somewhere outside.

The train's whistle howled proudly.

The black bird flew up in Jing's face. "We're at our stop, you know."

"_Ku_?" he muttered.

Then he noticed all the people getting up.

"Oh!" he exclaimed, hurriedly getting up.

"Bout time," Kir growled. "Now let's get us some golden apples!"

**5th Shot: Welcome to Phrenetikos**

The first thing Jing noticed as he descended from the black locomotive was just how colorful everything was.

The entire city was aglow in brilliant hues, with the multicolored lights complementing the vivid paint of the buildings. Not a dull or gloomy spot was to be found. It was enough to sear one's eyes, or delight them, depending on your view.

The entire city overflowed with energy. Everywhere people flowed through the streets like blood, beckoned by the joyous music that pulsed throughout the place. Happy lights hovered just above the flamboyantly decorated buildings, blinking in and out and zipping around erratically.

"What kind of place is this, Jing?" questioned Kir, staring at the insanely vibrant place before him. He turned his head to where Jing was.

At least, where he thought Jing was.

Realizing that he had no idea where his partner had run off to, the black bird whipped his head around in confusion.

"Jing! Jing!"

A loud, high-pitched wail erupted behind the albatross.

"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

"Easy there, Kir."

The black avian spun around to see his gray-eyed partner was holding a yellow plastic duck, about the size of his hand. He squeezed the duck's belly couple of times, causing the duck to flap its wings a bit and create that obnoxious squawk that had terrified Kir so badly a few moments around. The Bandit King had an amused look on his face.

"Ha ha, very funny," Kir growled, his voice dripping with irritation.

"Lighten up, Kir," replied Jing, not seeming bothered in the slightest by his partner's sour attitude. "Phrenetikos is famous for producing the best toys and candy. Just look at the crowd.

Kir turned his eyes back to the masses of people. Almost every other person was a toddler, child, or teenager. Those who were adults had youngsters trailing at their heels, tugging on their shirts and begging them to let them play this game, or buy that toy, or go on this ride.

"This place is a tourist trap for children," continued the boy with the blazing orange coat. "More of a full-time carnival than a city, really."

"Huh," Kir answered.

The more the avian studied his surroundings, the more Jing's words rang true. Many people traveled by riding comical-looking mechanical animals that looked like carousel runaways instead of trying to explore the whole city on foot. Acrobats pranced the streets, performing their logic-defying tricks and handing out balloons and candy to the ecstatic kids that watched them. Am airborne train, decorated by bright, glittery paint, zoomed through the air, more of a roller coaster than a proper locomotive. Sideshows and games of all kinds lined the streets. Happy music blared from glowing, smiling speakers that also served as lamplights. Yep, this was truly an elaborate playground built for the young. Old, cranky people need not apply.

"So where do you think they're keeping the apples, Jing?" the dark bird asked.

"Who knows," answered the black-haired boy. "They could be anywhere."

Digging into the right-hand pocket of his brilliant orange coat, he pulled out a round cat mask. It was colored dark purple, with the swirled eyes and teeth that were bright green in shade. It bore a wide smile, a smile far too wide to possibly be sane.

"So for now," continued Jing, as he put the psycho feline mask over his face. "We'll just be your usual young, hyperactive tourists."

**6th Shot: Never Never**

Chesirian Vocab

_Mamado (mah-mah-doe) - mother (remember this. It shows up often)_

_Note: There is a conversation in Chesirian in this chapter. However, it's not important to know what they're saying, so I will save you the headache of a long list of Chesirian words._

"Hey Kir! Look at this!"

"The boy with the blazing orange coat was dashing off to yet another prize booth, his black albatross tiredly trailing behind. In his talons he carried a bag full of toys.

The game booth Jing had arrived at was a shooting gallery. It didn't have real guns, of course; these weapons fired paint balls instead of bullets. The targets were cartoony bunnies and mice, all in cheery hues, with inerasable smiles on their faces.

"10 gold coins, please," stated the gamemaster, a young man with a pleasant grin on his face.

The masked boy handed over the necessary coins without question.

"Allright, here you go," replied the man, giving Jing a plastic gun that was colored blue and gold.

The black-haired boy proceeded to take aim at the roulette of oblivious targets. He was used to covering a bit more area when he launched his attacks, but he could make due with this.

The trigger was pulled, and moments later a red and green bunny was dyed bright blue. It wobbled back and forth, giving off a funny noise. When it stopped shaking, it squeaked out "Congratulations! You won!"

Kir groaned as his partner was handed a huge yellow penguin toy, something that he no doubt would be soon be stuck carrying.

"C'mon, Kir! Let's go!" Jing called out.

Kir may not have been able to see Jing's face, but he was sure that his partner was having way too much fun doing this so-called "research" for their treasure.

"Jing, we're gonna go broke at this rate!"

"Relax, Kir, we'll be fine."

The dark avian had his doubts. "Well, couldn't you at least stuff all this stuff in that endless hole in your pocket? This is getting heavy, you know!"

"Guess I could," Jing replied, taking the bag from the black bird. He flipped the bag over, letting it pour all the toys and trinkets he'd won into his right pocket. While one would think that his pocket would soon be overflowing with prizes, but the jacket pocket didn't even bulge as the last of the toys tumbled into it.

Kir gave a sigh of relief. At least now he didn't have to be a beast of burden anymore. Now all he had to worry about was going deaf from all the so-called music, childish squeals, and silly noises that ricocheted about.

"This won't fit though."

The dark albatross found himself holding the giant golden penguin that Jing had just won. He let out an aggravated sigh.

Why couldn't Jing hurry up and grow up?

The masked boy watched Kir struggle to comfortably secure the overgrown toy.

I"Mamado!"/I

Jing's head snapped over to a young boy, no more than six. He was pulling at the dress of a woman, whining. Both of them had deeply tanned skin.

I"Mamado, Kinku ulin talar quanai,"/I the boy pleaded, pointing at a fishing game booth and continuing to tug on her dress.

I"Nu, Kinku," /Ithe woman replied. I"Hai nu acoprap lica de cacamoi."/I

I"Nonu mamado-"/I the kid named Kinku began to protest.

I"Latlat"/I the woman intervened, picking the small child up. I"Hai nuia avav zohza baya."/I

The child continued to whine, but the woman carried him off nonetheless. They soon disappeared into the crowd.

The boy with the insane cat mask remained looking in that direction for quite awhile before he began to examine the people passing him by more closely. Fathers and sons, mothers and daughters, brothers, and sisters; it was nothing new to him , and he knew what he was in for when he chose to come here, but...

Why did it feel so wrong?

Well, of course it didn't feel right. His mother wasn't here. This was the kind of place you spent with family. Not that he didn't appreciate Kir's company, but...he couldn't exactly consider a black albatross a family member.

And...

And...

And...

"Hey Jing!" his partner called out, having finally gotten a good grip on the toy.

The masked boy stayed silent.

"So.." he whispered, almost completely muffled by the mask. "...Where are we going to go, Kir?"

"Eh?" the black bird replied. "Whaddaya asking me for! You're the one that's supposed to know!"

"Oh yeah..." the black-haired boy replied, his voice still far too quiet. "Cause I'm the Bandit King. I can steal the very stars out of the sky if I want to."

"That's right!" Kir agreed. "And I say all that candy the Bandit King's been eating has been going to his brain. Really Jing, what're we gonna do now?"

Just then, a couple of adults passed by. Judging by the costumes they were wearing, Jing guessed that they were employees that helped run this grand playplace

. "Man, am I ready to go home!" announced an acrobat decked out in mostly purple, with a bit of gold lacing the edges.

"Tell me about it!" agreed a chubby clown wearing white trousers with red polka-dots and a shirt that was striped green and purple. "I swear, I've smiled so much today I'm surprised that my face hasn't fallen off."

"I know!" replied the acrobat.

"All I wanna do is sleep til Saturday!"

"Oh yeah, totally with you on that one!" the acrobat answered. "Well, least we can catch some Z's on the flight back."

"I can't wait," replied the clown.

The two of them continued on their way, making no note of yet another child and his pet that just happened to be looking at them.

"Well, guess we'll follow them," the Bandit King answered.


	3. And to the Left of Us, Sheer Insanity

_Hiya! Back with the next chapter! _

_Did you know that Mad-Libs can be a source of inspiration? It's true! Take these first two sections, for example. If there was no Mad-Lib, they wouldn't exist. But Mad-Libs do exist, and they bring us 2/3 of this chapter. So next time you're stuck on a Jing fic, try tossing a few Mad-Libs around. It just might help._

_Disclaimer: I don't own Jing, and I don't own Mad-Libs either TT. But I do own Babble, Mouse-Man, a clown plane, and the created Mad-Lib that inspired me._

**7th Shot: Mad. Mad, Mad**

"Hey Babble, you got the plane ready yet?" asked a skinny mouse-man, his whiskers twitching impatiently.

"Ah, hold yer horses," the man called Babble growled back. "You already got your flying gear and stuff?"

"Yeah, I got that a while ago. Now hurry up!"

"Ah, be quiet."

This Babble was checking the wings of a rather strange plane. It was colored white and red, with the red being on the wings, tail, and around the windows. On the front of this plane was painted a clown face that was way too happy for its own good. In huge, ecstatic bubble on the side of the plane was written FLIGHT 750.

"What! How dare you tell me to shut up!" the mouse-man barked. "I'm-"

"I don't care if you're the King of Zaza," the chubby man cut in. "I can just as easily find employment elsewhere."

"Why you-"

As the mouse-man began to rant on about his attitude and incompetence, Babble decided to conveniently switch over to selective hearing and pay closer attention to the four orange engines he was looking over.

Why did they have to be orange? No one was going to see them. He could understand them prettying up the outside for the tourists, but why did they have to do such an elaborate of coloring the insides as well? Just about every color that existed was present in the mechanics of the plane. Purple gears, red gas tanks, yellow wiring: what a waste of money and color.

Before long, Babble had noticed that the mouse-man had stopped whining for the time being. Sensing that there had been an interruption to his lecture, Babble paused to see what was going on.

It seemed that a child had wandered into this adults-only zone. It was a boy with spiky black hair, an oversized orange coat, and dark gray shirt and pants. A dark purple cat mask with an insane smile and swirly eyes covered the boy's face, and a black bird was perched on his shoulder.

"There are no children allowed in this area!" the skinny mouse-man exclaimed, seeming appalled by the very idea. 'Now scurry back to all the toys and games in the fun part of Phrenetikos."

The boy remained silent.

The balding, chubby man stared at this child for a few moments. What was so-

Wait.

"HEY!" he exclaimed. "YOU'RE THAT TRAMP THAT STOLE MY POCKET WATCH!"

Once again the child remained quiet. but his bird did not.

"Oh, it's that cranky old guy."

"What!" Babble shouted. "Now listen you-"

"C'mon Kir, we've wasted enough time," the masked boy finally spoke.

The bird smirked. "I gotcha."

There was a flash of light. Once Babble and the mouse-man could see again, they saw that that both and boy and the bird were glowing a bright green. The avian had attached itself to the black-haired boy's arm via a long ribcage that went all the way up the boy's arm. The wings of the bird had become larger and stuck straight out to the sides, and the beak was now longer and more hooked.

The masked boy pointed the bird attached to his arm at the two men. The avian's beak opened.

"What the hell!" Babble exclaimed. What was this kid?

The mouse-man was descending into a whimpering panic.

A sphere of green energy was forming in the bird's mouth.

"GIVE ME A KIR ROYALE!" the masked boy shouted.

The last thing either one of them knew was a sea of green light charging right for them.

**8th Shot: We Hope You Enjoy Your Flight**

Having received the last of the homebound passengers, the clown plane started to take off. Steadily rising into the air, it speeded above the outer area, otherwise known as the wild area where the tourists and kids were kept entertained.

Phrenetikos had a rather odd structure. On the ground level was the outer level, a ring of buildings and businesses completely and wholly dedicated to the children and tourists. Very few inhabitants actually lived in this area, but most of the jobs resided here.

Then there was the inner area of Phrenetikos, also known as the upper area due to its location. You see, the inner area was suspended high in the air, far out of reach of the usual outsiders. This is where most of the inhabitants lived. The roar of the outer area was merely a calm hum. Here it looked like your usual city, besides the constant noise and colorful light given off below.

The only thing that bound the upper area to the lower area was a series of giant golden cables that spanned the area in-between. It is believed that these cords provided the vast power needed to run the lower area, as the main power plant was located on the upper area. Others say that the upper area would float away if the cables weren't in place.

The empty area in-between was huge, so planes were needed to go back and forth. Planes from the lower area were highly decorated, while planes from the upper were more mundane-looking, as they had no need to be as elaborate as the lower tourist planes. FLIGHT 750, being a plane that transports the employees of the lower area was classified as a business plane of the lower area, and therefore was decorated as appropriate.

The plane was filled with acrobats, clowns, bearded ladies, sword-swallowers, candy makers, sideshow runners, and toy gamemasters, all done with their shifts and more than ready to go home. And they would've been taking a nap if the wasn't so turbulent and rocky.

As they were entering the air space in-between, the pilot's voice came over the intercom.

Only, it wasn't the pilot's voice.

"Ladies and gentlemen," a young voice announced over the intercom. "Welcome aboard airline Flight 750. This is your captain and pilot, Jing."

Immediately a commotion erupted from the passengers.

"The plane you are traveling on is the latest Strato-Blade, with four orange engines," The Bandit King continued. "At present, we are flying directly in the airspace in-between the upper and lower areas. If you care for a cup of blue coffee or a crazy sandwich, please push the albatross located over you seat."

One of the acrobat women looked up to see a dark bid with a red bandana perched directly on top of her seat.

"I dunno if he'll serve you, but if you're a female he'll be glad to flirt with you."

On cue Kir grew excited and tried to snuggle up with her. The lady screamed and swatted him away.

As the dark avian flew off to try his luck on another girl passenger, Jing continued his announcement.

"There will be a slight delay, as it seems we'll have to take a slight detour."

The small detour was sharp dive downward to evade the blockade of enforcement planes. It seems the victims of the Kir Royale had woken up sooner than expected.

The panicked passengers were pushed far back into their seats, while Kir ended up getting slammed into the end of the hall.

"Hey, watch it Jing!" he barked, though he knew Jing couldn't hear him.

"Please fasten your seatbelts," Jing added monotonously. "The may be quite a bumpy ride."

And a bumpy ride it was. The rogue clown plane twisted and looped through the air, barely dancing away from the oncoming police planes and their ensnaring cables and nets. The passengers found themselves being tossed about with every turn, gripping onto their seats for dear life. To them, it was a journey of terror. To the tourists and children below, yet another show had arrived.

In this manner FLIGHT 750 somewhat ungracefully waltzed through the airspace, gradually gaining altitude. When it finally reached the upper level, it barely avoided colliding with the buildings. After slipping through an especially tight gap by going sideways, the red-and-white plane all-too-quickly found itself face-to-face with the side of a steel wall.

The ensuing crash finally put a stop to the insane plane's shenanigans.

Inside, passengers were scattered everywhere like a spilled set of chess pieces. Looking at the shocked and dazed expressions on their faces, it was a wonder that little stars weren't spinning around their heads. It was doubtful that they realized that the plane had stopped moving.

In scarcely better shape was Kir, stumbling out of the trashed vehicle. The masked Bandit King surfaced soon after, calmly climbing out of the damaged cockpit.

"Jing..." the black albatross spoke, still stumbling a little as he walked over to the black-haired boy. "...You don't have a clue on how to fly a plane, do you?"

"Nope."

"...Thought so."

The boy and bird melted into the shadows, leaving a ruin in their wake. Aside from the wrecked wall, the plane and its contents were a tortured mess. Though it was somehow still in one piece, the elaborate paint job and metal skin were all but sheared off. Some areas exposed those coloring inner workings of the machine, many of which had also been shattered and cracked beyond repair. It was a plane with little to no hope of ever flying again.

And yet, it was still bearing that smile. That crazy, crazy smile. That smile far too wide to possibly be sane.

**9th Shot: Life Guarded by the River of Death**

"Well, that could've gone smoother."

"Oh, yathink?" Kir growled, flying right next to Jing. The spiky-haired boy had taken off his euphoric mask, once again revealing his gray eyes to the world. "I mean, really, why'd you have to steal a plane with a bunch of people on it? Couldn't've we just flown here?"

"That airspace had very high security," Jing explained casually. "So I figured that if we took a commercial plane, we'd wouldn't be suspected..."

"But you didn't count on your complete and total lack of experience with a plane," the black avian finished for him.

"Well, yeah."

'Geez, you're hopeless sometimes, you know that?" Kir sighed. "And why'd you let the passengers know that you were piloting?"

"Oh that," the black-haired boy replied. "I was just having a little fun."

"Figures."

"Well, here we are."

"Eh?" Kir mumbled, looking around. Big, boring buildings surrounded them, with some dully painted planes buzzing above. Ordinary people wandered from shop to normal shop.

It looked just like the rest of the inner city to him.

"Here we are?" Kir questioned. "Where's here?"

Jing stomped on the edge of metal lid, causing it to fly away and expose the manhole beneath.

"...You're joking, right?"

Jing slipped down the hole without a word.

Grumbling, the dark bird reluctantly followed his partner down into the darkness.

Where they landed was no more mysterious than the city above. It was just your usual nasty sewer, complete with mutated rats, slime-drenched walls, and brownish-green gunk rushing by. And, of course, the gagging, omnipresent stench.

"Are you nuts!" Kir yelled, covering his upper beak with his wing. "No one with half a brain would keep golden apples of youth down here!"

"That's what they want you to think."

Kneeling down just over the filthy river of fluid, he held out his right arm and bent his hand downward. Instantly a thin, long blade shot out from underneath the sleeve.

"Whaddaya doing?" the bird with the crimson bandana questioned, cautiously coming closer to his comrade. "You shouldn't get too close to that stuff. It's toxic!"

"Oh really?"

The gray-eyed boy dipped his blade into the sewage. The tainted liquid made no ripple or splash as the blade was inserted. Pulling it out, the blade remained as dry and clean as before it had entered the poisonous mixture.

"An illusion can't hurt you unless you believe in it."

The dark albatross gaped.

Before Kir realized what was going on, Jing wrapped his arm around the black bird and leapt straight into the nonpresent stream of waste.

"J-Jing! Wait!"

For a while there was nothing but blackness. Kir could feel him and his partner being pulled down, but there was no bottom in sight. It was eerie, the feeling of getting nowhere. It seemed like the cold darkness was closing in, getting ready to devour them.

Then suddenly the lusting darkness was chased away by blinding gold. Kir's eyes could hardly adjust to the change before he felt Jing land on solid ground.

Released by his partner, Kit took wing to better examine his new surroundings. Everything was painted an overwhelming yellow, from the ceiling, to the floor, to the odd, box-like machines that filled the room.. Whirring, hissing and chugging sounds fell on the ears. Not a person was in sight.

"What is all this?" Kir asked, staring.

"This..." Jing began."...Is the true inner of Phrenetikos. Welcome to the factory of the golden apples!"


	4. And to the Right of Us, Someone Strange

_Hi again! Been caught up in KH2ness, which isn't so great for writing moods besides Kingdom Hearts. Awesome game. Go Axel! Go Demyx! Long live the Organization! _

_..anyway…XD_

_Oh yeah, just learned the other day that almost all Jing characters, including Jing and Kir, were named after alcoholic beverages. And here I was thinking Jing and Kir were named after sound effects…._

_Disclaimer: If I owned Jing, he could steal anything I wanted for me. If I could control him anyway…_

_Edit note: Thanks to **Katt Anne Kindel **for pointing of the lack of divider in between the last POV change in this chapter. Apparently the line I used to separate it was deleted when translated on ffnet. There is a new divider there now. Otherwise, the chapter is unchanged._

_Storytime! _

**Shot 10: Dalios**

"Man, how much longer am I gonna hafta wait?"

This bored complaint came from the mouth of a small boy, no more than ten. He wore an outfit of red, with yellow stripes down the long sleeves, sides, and pants. Brilliant emerald eyes scanned from his perch on one of the giant golden cables linked up to the machines. His most eye-catching feature, his short, stark-white hair, gleamed in the bright light just above him. To anyone looking up at him, he was nothing more but a black silhouette.

Right next to him was an odd mutt puppy. He seemed to be a mix between corgi and an eskimo dog. The canine was colored deep orange and white, with odd white oval spots on the sides. In fact, the puppy seemed to be a bit on the chubby side. He licked on the boy's hand and whined, looking up at him with big, sad eyes, and putting his fox-like head on the boy's lap.

"Yeah, I know boy," the emerald-eyed kid replied, stroking the puppy's head. "They're taking forever, aren't they?"

Suddenly the small dog's head shot up and snapped into another direction, his large pointed ears twitching and his black nostrils flaring. His tongue flicked in and out of his mouth, lapping up the air. Then he began to snarl, bearing its sharp teeth and showing off two usually long top canines. The tip of the orange-and-white mutt's tail quivered stiffly, and the hairs on its back and neck stood on end.

"Huh? What is it, boy?"

Just then, the white-haired boy spotted two strangers wandering closer to one of the huge wired boxes. One was a black-haired, gray-eyed teen wearing an all-too-bright and all-too-long orange coat, while the other was a black albatross with a red bandana tied around his narrow neck.

"Wah! They're here!"

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

"A-Are you serious, Jing!" Kir exclaimed. "This is really where they make the golden apples?"

"Yup," his partner replied, studying the machinery.

"But since when are apples made in factories?" the black albatross asked. "Last time I checked, apples grow on trees."

"Well, these aren't ordinary apples," Jing stated, walking closer toward the equipment. "See those golden cables?"

Kir looked up to see the huge, thick cords linked up to the machines.

"Oh yeah! Aren't those the cables that connect the upper area with the lower area?"

"That's right," the raven-haired boy replied. "They're used to transfer power to the games and rides below. Or that's what people here are led to believe."

"In reality, it's the opposite. All that youth, all of that happiness, all that energy generated by the children and other young people here, is siphoned from the air by those cables and transported here, where it is processed into the ingredients for the golden apples. That is the true purpose of the outer area."

"Whoa..." Kir responded.

The two of them admired the machinery for a few moments.

"Heh. Not bad."

Jing and Kir whipped around to see a short kid with colorless hair standing right behind them. At his feet was a small puppy with his foxy ears pointed backwards, growling and barking.

"And you are..." asked Jing, not seeming the least bit concerned about this new arrival.

"I am Dalios!" the red-clad boy announced proudly. "And this is Rolly."

The pup yipped in response.

"And you're the Bandit King and his partner, right?"

"How'd you know?" the dark avian questioned.

"Heh, only the Bandit King could find this place by himself," Dalios answered. "Me and Rolly just followed you here."

"So you're planning on stealing the golden apples as well?" Jing asked.

"That's right," Dalios replied with a smirk. "You're not the only bandit running around."

"I see-" the gray-eyed boy responded. "But you know-"

He extended the blade hidden under his right sleeve.

"I'm not the type to share with the likes of you."

"Well, duh, of course not,' the emerald-eyed boy remarked. "You wouldn't be much of a Bandit King if you were generous. I'm gonna take the apples for myself, and beat the legend himself while I'm at it!"

Dalios pulled out a dark blue whip. It seemed ordinary enough, but looking closer Jing could tell that some kind of technology was embedded into the body of the weapon. Just what kind of technology, though, he couldn't tell.

"Is that so?" the Bandit King questioned.

"You runt? Beat us? HA!" Kir bellowed. "Never in a million years!"

"Oh really?" the red-outfitted boy challenged. "I bet I can beat you guys to the golden apples any day!"

"Bring it on!" Kir taunted.

"Sure, why not?" replied Jing, shrugging.

"Then let's do this!" exclaimed Dalios. "C'mon Rolly!"

The pair of thieving duos began dashing towards one of the factory machines.

**11th Shot: The Game Commences**

The first thing Dalios did was pick up Rolly and jump onto the top of the nearest wired box. He twisted the base of the rope and lashed the rope down, causing a large splotch of pale green liquid to emerge from the tip. This thick fluid apparently was a ravenous acid, as it rapidly began to eat the metal it touched. A sizeable hole was soon in the machine, the edges of the hole sizzling from the acid's effects. Without a moment's hesitation, the emerald-eyed boy slipped inside.

Soon after Dalios had dived into the hole, Jing and Kir got on top of the machine and followed suit. Might as well let the kid take care of their problem of entering the next part of the factory.

Inside, the legendary duo passed through a faint orange gas poured in from a series of holes in the sides of the box. Just below this vapor was a thick golden gas, surging in through the main cables connected to the box. When Jing and Kir fell into this yellow haze, their pummel was slowed, like diving into water. Not a thing could be seen; no ceiling, no floor, no Dalios.

Suddenly they felt themselves being pulled forward by an outside force. Jing felt his body tilt forward, his arms being pinned to his sides and his legs straighten out without consent as he began to accelerate at breakneck alacrity. Though he couldn't see Kir through the yellow smoke, he was sure that his partner was experiencing something similar. It was strange; even though he had no freedom of movement whatsoever and had no idea where he was going, he still felt a indescribable joy as he and Kir were carried by the golden gas.

It seemed like the duo just entered the vapor when suddenly they were spat out back into fresh air. They had just been ejected from a large pipe that had been carrying the orange gas and golden gas from the wired boxes. The two vapors, the orange gas still lying on top of the yellow one, were being poured into a giant vat with a huge fan. The vapors being forced to mix, the gases turned from orange and yellow to a deep purple.

"Kir!" called Jing, seeming unintimidated by the blades spinning menacingly below.

"I gotcha Jing!"

A flash of light was created, but the albatross wasn't mounted onto Jing's arm this time. In fact, the avian was in a rather different form altogether.

Kir was now attached to Jing's back, his own spine fused with the Bandit King's, with some leftover spine serving as a tail of sorts. The ribcages of the dark avian, in a much larger size than in his gun fusion, were clamped onto Jing's chest, while each of Kir's black wings were now as long as Jing himself. They gave off a brilliant, mystifying green light, with their eyes glowing dark emerald.

Their fall was thwarted by only a few flaps of those huge wings. Soon they spotted Dalios and Rolly below, running down a pipe that was connected to the vapor vat. The winged Bandit King dived down to the white-haired kid and his mutt puppy.

It took a lot more energy for Kir to go into this form, and it had cost Kir his voice. He could only emit indecipherable squawks and croaks when he opened his beak. However, there were advantages to sharing the same spine.

_Let's show that little punk why you're called the Bandit King! _

...such as telepathy.

Having their spines connected meant having their minds connected as well, which allowed them to read each other's thoughts. It was quite convenient, really, since only a mind reader could spoil their attack and stealing plans.

Dalios felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. Looking back, he had a moment's slip of reason and thought that a monster was chasing him.

Indeed, the Bandit King did look like a monster. The zombie-like albatross was hidden by the boy's hair, seeming like Jing himself that sprouted wings. . Weak, warped cries of the dark avian brought on a Kafkaesque effect. His eyes, blazing shadow emerald, hardly seemed human at all. It was enough to have anyone question their sanity.

"Heh," Dalios smirked, after regaining his composure. "So that's why some people call you the Demon King as well."

The Bandit King zoomed over Dalios's head, surging into the maze before them.

The entire area was a complex intertwining of pipes of all shapes and sizes. They weaved in and out, making the whole place a tangled metal jungle bathed in blackness.

The lack of light was quickly remedied by Jing's own illumination. With the pipes stripped of their protective darkness, the winged thief easily found his way through the gaps of interlocked metal tubes, hardly losing any speed in the process.

Soon a white light could be made out in the distance. The radiance steadily became brighter and brighter as he continued to navigate his twisting path through the metal tubes. After a while, the light illuminated the positions of the pipes, making it all the easier for Jing to make his way through the interwoven metal. Then the light embraced Jing as he entered the radiance, and for just a moment the Bandit King was blinded.

**12th Shot: Toy Shop Madness**

The flying duo found themselves in what must have been the main part of the factory. There were machines regularly creaking and pounding as they did their assigned tasks, whether it be shaking a huge spear full of lavender gas, pouring gold into molds shaped like the bottom and top halves of apples, or polishing the finished product. Conveyor belts were strung all over the place like party streamers over the brightly-colored, yet heavily dusty area. Not a living thing was in sight; it seemed that the entire operation was left to fend for itself...

_Kir, let's separate_, Jing suggested. _I want to save my energy_

_Good idea_, the black albatross replied.

There was a brief flash of light, and the two of them were pulled apart and became just boy and just bird once more. Without a moment's hesitation, they rushed towards the rather childish machinery.

There were two problems with that kind of fusion state. For one, they couldn't use Kir Royale, or any substitute energy attack. It worked best for defense and speed, not offense. The other issue was that this form took a lot more energy to fuel, so it was hard to maintain for a long amount of time.

It didn't just wear out Kir; the Bandit King had to donate a lot of his own youthful power to activate and use its abilities. With the gun fusion, Jing used little to no energy to launch the attack. Kir drew the power from himself; the steel-eyed boy merely pulled the trigger. But with the flight fusion, both Jing and Kir were pumping those huge, majestic wings, and the dark avian needed to siphon strength from the Bandit King's in order to support the form of flight fusion. In short, it was a lot more complicated than the rather simple gun fusion.

"So this is the heart of the factory, huh?' Kir stated, gliding around to get a better look at the quite silly-looking equipment.

Many of the mechanics reminded him of blown-up versions of the toys that were made in the park. Giant ducks, much like the toy Jing had used earlier to scare the albatross, squawked loudly as they sprayed out a lavender gas out of their mouths and into condensing machines. Monstrous teddy bears in bonnets carried raw ores of gold and dumped them into processing machines. Life-size boy and girls dolls studied the molded gold for design flaws and fluke deformities.

"How come all these toys are doing all the work? Where are all the people?"

"I wouldn't be surprised if the locals have completely forgotten about this place," Jing remarked.

"Whaddya mean?" Kir questioned. "How could anyone forget about a place as valuable as this?"

"As we grow older, we sometimes forget what made us so youthful in our childhood, or our memories of those times become distorted. Most likely this place was created by people just starting to age, who wanted to restore the youth spirit they were beginning to lose. But these apples are made from other children's youthfulness, and what they wanted to reclaim was their own youthfulness, not someone else's. So the people became disheartened, unsatisfied with the factory's results, and abandoned it."

"What a waste of perfect golden apples," responded Kir. "Speaking of abandoned, looks like that runt gave up the chase. Don't see him any-"

"Yo!"

Jing and Kir's heads snapped upward and happened to spot a certain white-haired boy perched on top of one of the giant ducks. His fox-eared dog stood at his feet, growling.

"HUH! B-but we left him in the dust back there!" The black avian babbled. 'There's no way he could've caught up to us!"

Dalios wasted no time to ascend to a nearby conveyor belt.

"Jing!"

"Gotcha!"

A flash of light later, and Kir became attached to Jing's arm. The orange-coated boy leapt into the air and pointed downwards.

"Give me a Kir Royale!"

The sheer force of the blast propelled the duo upward, allowing them to land on a conveyor belt adjacent to the crimson-outfitted child. Another sphere of lime-hued energy was forming in Kir's mouth.

"Give me a Kir Royale!"

The emerald-eyed boy quickly jumped off to avoid being eradicated by the laser blast. The conveyor belt was cut clean in two, and crashed into any hapless machinery that happened to be in its path of descent. Landing on another belt, Dalios twisted his rope and lashed out the acid it dripped towards the Bandit King.

The raven-haired boy swiftly leapt straight up, letting the acid prey on the metal below him instead. He was about to summon another Kir Royale when Rolly slammed into him, causing the attack to fizzle out before it even begun. The pup's attack had done little other damage, however, and Jing was able to knock it aside and continue his chase after the boy with colorless hair.

And so it went. Jing seemed to have the greater acrobatic skills and speed, but Dalios could take shortcuts through the tangle of mechanics either because of his small stature or through the help of his dog pulling just the right switches to open just the right path. The two bandit boys ran side by side, flinging acid sprays and energy blasts at one another the whole way. They didn't care what got hit, whether it was bears, dolls, conveyor belts, or other vital machinery, as long as it wasn't them. Several times it seemed that one of them would be doomed to be hit by their opponent's deadly attack, but by some great agility or god's grace they somehow managed to slip away from danger more or less unscathed. To those who didn't know better, it seemed that far more than two boys were waging war in the colorful factory.

The factory behind them now in sheer chaos, the boys were now racing after a lone swan robot, carefully carrying a batch of golden fruit, they very apples they lusted for. The swan, in its own programmed little world, remained blissfully unaware of the two thieves closing in on it and its highly desirable cargo. In a flash Jing and Kir detached, then reattached as they morphed into flight fusion. Now gifted with wings, it took little effort for the Bandit King to break away from the neck-to-neck race.

_Now or never_

"Rolly!" Dalios cried.

Dalios picked up the small canine and tossed him straight at the winged master thief. Paws outstretched, mouth wide open, fangs fully extended, the orange pup landed on Jing's shoulder and sank his teeth deep into the black-haired boy's shoulder.

Jing winced at the sharp pain of the wound, but it hardly mattered to him now. With a simple barrel roll, the dog was shaken off and thrown into a wall, where it lay in a daze.

"Rolly!"

As the white-haired child ran over to check on the corgi mix, the Bandit King swiftly snatched away the swan's basket of precious apples. The winged thief shot straight up, slipping away through an aged hole in the wall, no longer to be seen or challenged.

But this didn't seem to bother Dalios, as he petted his recovering canine, who barked happily in return. In fact, he didn't seem to even care that he had lost the race to the golden rarities.

Instead, he and his dog turned their gazes to the wrecked factory that lay just behind them. Equipment was half-blown apart or melted, with conveyor belts hanging lifelessly from the machinery. Robot workers wandered the area in confusion, unaware of either what to do or that they were missing some part of themselves.

Dalios sighed.

"And now we gotta clean all this up...Joy..."

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

"Hah! We sure showed that brat!"

Jing and Kir were on the fields just on the outskirts of Phrenetikos. The raven-haired boy was currently studying on of the golden apples he had swiped. The rest of the batch remained in the basket beside him.

"Kid was nothing but hot air!" Kir bragged to no one in particular. Perhaps he was practicing his tale for the ladies. "Bet the runt's run home to cry to his mommy."

"Hey Kir."

"Yeah?"

The boy in the blazing coat held up the apple he'd been looking over.

"Want some?"

The avian stared at the apple blankly for a few moments.

"Want some? Want some what?" Kir asked, eyeing the highly valued apple. "It's not like we can eat it."

"Well, that's true," Jing answered. "But..."

The Bandit King twisted the stem of the apple, first to the right, then to the left, then twice of the right, and then three more times to the left.

The top of the apple popped off.

"The thing you have to keep in mind for anything that's gilded: You never know what lies inside."

Just as Jing had said, the interior of the apple was hollow. Inside was a lavender liquid, with some white swirls spiraling endlessly on the surface of the substance.

"Whoa...so that's the youthfulness from the outer ring of Phrenetikos?" Kir asked, staring and he and Jing's reflection in the liquid.

"Yep," Jing answered. "The golden apple was just a shell to protect what it held inside. It may not be as good as your own youth, but it's still pretty good stuff."

The dark-haired child carefully poured some of the liquid into the top half of the apple shell, and handed it to the black avian.

"So.." the Bandit King continued, lifting up the lower half of the golden vessel. "Bon Appetite!"

Kir grinned and clanged the golden shell against Jing's. "Bon Appetite!"

Both downed their drinks with a single gulp.

_And so ends the first section of part 1. Two more treasures to go, and lord knows what'll be beyond that. Well, I do. Kinda. After all, I'm God of this story, so I so have some idea where it's going, right?_

_Cya later! _


	5. An Involuntary Break on the Train

_Hi, it's me, The Light's Refrain, and finally things have started up again! Actually, they've been running since July, but I'd been focusing on stocking up on rough draft then, which there is plenty of now. _

_Sorry for leaving you guys hanging for...what, four months? The combination of writer's block and my KH Moodwhacking my Jing Mood with Demyx's sitar pretty much left thistale at a standstill until about a month ago. But everything's moving again, and this time even better than ever. In fact, it was kinda a good thing that Gilded was stalled, because I've been able to plan out just about the entire fic thanks to that delay._

_Allright, I've determined that this story will have a total of 12 quests (well, maybe 11; the last two may be combined), divided into four main parts with three quests each,with brief in-between chapters for hints, character development, background infomation,silly randomness, or whatever else is needed. I've determined more or less what these quests will be about, and have figured out their order. The in-betweens aren't so set in stone, but I have plenty of ideas for them.Also, this fic will be a JingStir fic, though not overly so. _

_This is not anreally exciting chapter, as it's an in-between chapter, though it'sstill necessary. I hope you enjoy it anyway._

_Disclaimer: If I owned Jing, I'd have a bunch of rabid fangirls trying to kill me all the time. Not that I'm a rabid fangirl...well, not too rabid(manical grin)_

_Now, let the tale continue its winding path..._

**13th Shot: Symptom**

"HeyJingHowAreYouI'mGreatYouTooWannaPlayWannaPlayLet'sPlayLet'sPlay!"

Yep, Kir was definitely feeling the effects of that shot of youthfulness he got the other day. Almost immediately after consumption, Jing and the albatross found themselves endowed with limitless energy and cheer. They zigged and zagged all over the place, playing forgotten childhood games, challenging each other to dares, playing pranks on one another, and just doing stupid stuff in general.

Their childish hyperness continued into the night, and into the next day as well. The endless energy the lavender liquid provided had them bouncing off the walls well after it had been consumed. In fact...

"HeyLet'sPlayTagYou'reItC'monC'monLet'sPlayLet'sPlayLet'sPlayLet'sPlayLet'sPlayLet'sPlay!"

...Kir was _still_ bouncing off the walls.

Jing, on the other hand, wasn't feeling so hyper anymore. About around noon he was suddenly seized by aches and lethargy, which greatly hampered his youthful enthusiasm and playfulness. In fact, it was the reason that Jing decided to take the train to Zaza instead of running all the way there like he proclaimed that he would earlier that day.

Now, feeling more exhausted than ever, his head was leaning against the window of the locomotive, trying to get some shuteye. His ever-hyper partner wasn't helping.

"Jiiiiiing-"

"Stop it, Kir!" he snapped, glaring at the bird fiercely despite his oncoming headache. "Go bother some cute chick or something."

"But girls are icky."

Only the power of the lavender liquid would ever make the avian say such a thing.

"Then go mess with some other guy then," the gray-eyed Bandit King growled. "Just leave me alone."

"Hmph! Fine, meanie!" Kir scoffed, sulking off the bother some other passengers.

Jing sighed and let himself slide farther down his seat.

"...Finally."

Normally the trains had two long, cushioned benches on opposite sides, so that he could either look out the window or lie down and take a nap. Also, despite their convenience, not too many people rode on the locomotives, whether it be from a distrust of technology, a lack of money, or otherwise. Jing didn't mind this, however, as it made the trip to other lands that much more relaxing.

This time, though, he happened to steal a ticket for one of the newest trains. It was said to be much faster than the other locomotives, and much less bumpy. They even had more for passengers, despite being about the same size of the older trains. It seemed like a pretty good deal, so he got on.

As it turned out, the extra room was made possible by having a very crowded seating system. Instead of two extended benches, there were several rows of two seats, lined up on each side of the passenger car. Normally Jing would've have minded, but his head was pounding and his body ached so much that all he wanted to do was lie down.

Then there was the noise. Because it was so new, and so much more room, lots of people were on board, which led to crowded conditions. They chatted, they laughed, they coughed, and they were no help whatsoever to Jing's migraine.

Shutting his eyes and groaning, he found himself wishing that the train would hurry up and get to Zaza and that everyone on board would just shut up.

"Sir? Sir, are you allright?"

Jing wearily lifted his head up to look at a girl about his age. Judging by the white and orange uniform, she was one of the waitresses working on the train. Her short and neatly trimmed black hair had a green sheen to it, and her jade eyes bore a gentle, worried look.

"I'm not hungry..." he mumbled.

"Um, you're shivering. Are you cold?"

He hadn't realized it until then, but he had been quivering erratically the past few minutes. He had no idea why; it wasn't like he was feeling cold. If anything, he felt a bit on the warm side...oh well, that's what he got from wallowing around in huge rain puddles earlier while Kir was trying to get his red bandana back from him. A little nap would fix that.

"No...I'm fine..."

"Are you sure?"

"HEY GIRL! MORE CHIPS!" someone demanded.

"Oh! Coming!" she shouted back before briefly turning back to the black-haired boy. "Just let me know if you need anything, okay?"

"Allright..."

The room seemed to melt away as his senses abandoned him

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

He wandered in a scenery of pure white. Not a detail or landmark was to be found; nothing in front of him, nothing behind him, nothing to the sides. The only thing that gave this place any characteristic at all was the fact that the ground and air was cold to his skin, seeming to burrow beneath the flesh and chill his heart. He hardly noticed it, though, as he kept walking on and on. It didn't matter that he was numbed by the cold; in fact, he preferred it that way. It wouldn't matter. He'd get there eventually.

But get to where? For what reason?

Why?

...He honestly had no idea.

**14th Shot: Outbreak**

"Jing! Jing!"

The Bandit King moaned faintly as he felt someone shaking him. He opened his weary eyes.

The first thing he noticed was Kir floating in front of him, the albatross bearing an oddly concerned look on his face.

"Kir-"

His reply was cut off by a fit of dry coughs, making his eyes water. Yeah, his throat had been bothering him some earlier, but not nearly this bad. Now that he thought of it, his body felt like it had been in a washing machine, especially his left arm. He could barely move it at all.

"Hey, take it easy," Kir replied, as Jing rubbed his teary eyes. "We found your head leaning against the front seat, about to pass out."

"We...?"

Suddenly he felt a cool cloth being dabbed against his hot forehead.

"I've already called for the doctor," stated a female voice, one Jing somehow managed to recognize as the waitress from earlier.

"...Kay..." he replied hoarsely, chills starting to roll down his spine.

"I believe you called for me?"

They turned to see a brunette man, about in his mid-30s and wearing reddish-brown clothes, walking down to them. Behind his glasses were olive-green eyes, seeming calm and friendly enough. In his right hand was a metal case with the words DOCTOR stamped on the side in bold black letters.

"Are you the doctor!" Kir questioned frantically, flying right up to the brow-haired man.

"That's what it says on the briefcase, Mr. Birdie," the man answered, holding it up for the black avian to see. "So, what's the problem?"

"It's my sidekick, Jing," the black bird answered, looking more worried than ever. "One minute he's fine, then the next he's all groggy and feverish and stuff. You gotta take a look at him."

The doctor walked over to the exhausted raven-haired boy and put his hand on his forehead.

"How long has he been sick?"

"We're not sure," answered the waitress. "His friend thinks he might've been under the weather for quite a few hours now, since he started acting tired and sluggish around early afternoon. But he didn't start seeming really sick until about 20 minutes ago."

"Is that so?" the ruddy-dressed doctor replied, checking Jing's pulse. The Bandit King has slipped into a somewhat fitful slumber once again.

"Do you know what's wrong with him, doc?" asked the dark albatross.

"I believe so, Mr. Birdie," responded the brunette. "You see, there's been an awfully nasty bug going around, making all kinds of people nice and miserable. Not a pleasant sickness in the least, but curable."

The specs-wearing man opened up his suitcase and took out a small bottle. Picking up one of his needles, he inserted it through a small hole at the top of the bottle, and siphoned out a bright orange liquid into the needle.

"A shot of this should do the trick," the doctor stated. "He'll still need to rest, but he should be fine after the next several hours."

While the olive-eyed man spoke, Jing quietly stirred. Turning his head, he spied the needle containing the solution. His gray eyes narrowed.

"Ah, I see you're awake," spoke the doctor, noticing that Jing was looking at him. "I'm going to give you a shot to make you feel all better. You shouldn't feel a thing, though it will make you quite drowsy."

When the doctor began to step forward, Jing pushed himself farther back, glaring at the doctor.

"Hey, c'mon, you ain't scared of needles, are you?" Kir teased flying over to the Bandit King.

The Bandit King paid no attention to the dark albatross, and instead growled out an incomprehensible word that Kir assumed to be Chesirian.

"Huh?"

"Careful, the kid might be delirious," the doctor warned, as he began to approach the black-haired boy. "Now just relax and hold still…"

But Jing didn't hold still, instead batting the doctor's arm away.

"Jing he's trying to help," Kir tried to assure him.

"_Kokukon…" _the gray-eyed boy snarled, his expression growing even fiercer. _Jing nu uur! Jing nu uur!" _

When the doctor began to come forward once more, the boy in the blazing coat summoned his blade.

Though the waitress jumped back, the doctor remained perfectly calm, studying the boy with cold steel eyes swirling in fire. The olive-eyed man's expression softened slightly, and the olive-eyed man let out what seemed like a somewhat pitying sigh.

"J-Jing!" the black albatross exclaimed, taking hold of the arm wielding the weapon. "C-c'mon buddy, this ain't a bad guy. He's just gonna give you a little something to help you feel better, that's all."

Jing started to hiss something else, but then he started to clutch his stomach with his free hand.

It was during this brief distraction the olive-eyed doctor administered the shot. The gray-eyed boy was hardly aware of it as he found himself tumbling back into blackness.

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

Now he was in the whiteness again, running, running, running. There was something there, something bad, something awful, something absolutely terrifying. If he didn't keep running, it would catch him, ensnare him, poison him. Or perhaps just erase him altogether.

It was…

It was…

It was…

What was it?

This lack of identification seemed to soothe him, as his dashing soon slowed to a casual walk. All that was all he did in the whiteness for the longest time, walk. For a while the colorless floor crunched under his feet. Wintriness seeped into his body, his heart. Then the floor stopped crunching and started to make a much quieter clop.. Small white crystals formed at the tips of his hair and the edges of his coat and shoes, but he took little notice of it as he wandered on. The clopping slowly began to sound more and more hollow as he continued to amble in the endless lack of color.

Then in an unprecedented instant, the floor shattered below him, unmasking an everlasting blackness below. As he pummeled down, down, down, he vaguely wondered if he should be screaming.

**15th Shot: Recovery**

"Is he still sleeping?"

"Yes, but his fever's gone now. He should be just fine, Mr. Birdie."

Kir let out a sigh of relief. He and the waitress were sitting in the room right outside of the infirmary, where Jing had been moved after the shot was given.

"That's good. And don't call me that!"

"Call you what?" asked the doctor

"Mr. Birdie!"

"What's wrong with Mr. Birdie?"

The black avian grumbled to himself a little, and then decided to move his attention to the rather cute girl beside him.

"Say, I never caught your name, doll."

"Oh! My apologies! My name is Tia," the jade-eyed girl replied, smiling slightly. "I don't believe I ever heard yours either."

"I'm Kir," the black albatross responded, bowing a little. "And what a beautiful name you have, Tia. Why it's almost as beautiful as you are."

"Oh! Um…thank you?" Tia stammered, this being her first time being hit on by a bird.

"Why, the pleasure is all mine!" Kir answered. Then, from out of nowhere, he summoned a glorious red ruby into his grasp. The dark-haired waitress couldn't help but smile and stare in awe as the valuable gem was handed to her.

"Well, this is a first."

The doctor seated himself in the empty chair next to Kir, a slightly impish look in his expression. "And since when do albatrosses flirt with human girls?"

"You got a problem with that, buddy?" the dark avian growled.

"No, Mr. Birdie, but…" the brunette man began. "…certainly a female of your own species would be more attractive than-"

"Bleh!" Kir interrupted, sticking out his tongue in disgust. "Girl birds are just so…icky. They've got no body, you know what I mean? They all look the same! And they never shut up! You try to take them anywhere, and all they wanna do is talk talk talk with whatever's passing by and-"

At this point the olive-eyed man erupted into laughter, which was soon answered by a glare from the black albatross.

"I'm serious! Meet any bird dame and you'll know _exactly_ what I'm talking about!"

"Oh, I understand Mr. Birdie," the doctor answered, adjusting his glasses. "It's just this is the first time I've ever heard of anything like this. Perhaps I should take you with me so I can study you."

"Whaddya mean by that?" asked Kir suspiciously. "And stop calling me Mr. Birdie!"

"Are you a vet as well?" asked Tia, leaning forward to get a better look at the man in reddish-brown clothes.

"You could say that," replied the doctor. "More it's more research on interesting creatures. How would you like me to write a book about you, Mr. Birdie?"

"You mean I could be rich and famous and stuff?" the dark bird asked eagerly.

"If the book sells well and you're interesting enough."

"Then count me in!" the black albatross exclaimed, zipping off for a moment, and then zooming back and shoving a notebook and a pen into the olive-eyed man's hands. "It all started when I was an egg…"

"Kir, what are you doing?'

All of them looked up to see a groggy-looking gray-eyed boy, his messy black hair even wilder than usual.

"Ah! You're awake! How are you feeling?" the jade-eyed girl asked.

"Stiff, mostly," The Bandit King replied, stretching and rolling one of his shoulders. "Nothing a good stroll around Zaza won't take care of. How much longer til we get there anyway?"

"Uh, Jing…" the dark avian began. "You were out for three hours. We went past Zaza a loooong time ago."

"What!" Jing exclaimed, seeming more than a little surprised. "Oh well. I was hoping that I could find out something from some of my informants in that area, but I suppose anywhere else will do just as well."

"Whatever," Kir answered, a sly smirk forming on his face. "You just wanted to see Stir, didn't you?"

"So, how many more stops left?" asked the Bandit King, apparently ignoring the black albatross's accusation.

"Just one,' answered Tia. "The area known as Bacc."

_It was the doctor that gave me such a huge headache writing this chapter. In the end he didn't turn out who I expected him to be, but I'm satisfied with this form now that I've figured it out. And I like how the dreams turned out._

_Next time: Just what is this place called Bacc? That's what we're about to find out...and it seems our favorite motorcylist mailman has some drinking buds._

_Cya!_


	6. Some Seemingly Random Ramblings

_Hi, I'm here with the next chapter. It's another in-between one, but the last in-between one before we take on the second quest. We'll be switching between Jing and Postino a fair amount this time. It's pretty much blahblahblah this chapter, but they'll be some good action coming up. _

_Disclaimer: Nope, don't own Jing, though I do own Tia, the doctor, Postino's friends, Pan's and Bacc. But do I own the Bandit King? Pfft, I wish. _

**16th Shot: Where the Wine Flows**

"Bacc?" Kir questioned. "Never heard of it."

"Not many people have," replied Tia, twisting her dark green hair. "It's a mostly desert region, quite out of the way of most people's paths; we rarely get any requests to go there. Though we have been getting quite a few recently..."

"What's it like?" asked Jing.

"Well, I don't know that much about it…" the jade-eyed waitress responded. "But from what I've heard, just about anyone who goes too deep into it goes crazy. Something about a type of plant that grows there…"

"Ah yes! I've heard of that place!" the olive-eyed doctor spoke up. "It's a wonder to scientists everywhere. There is a certain kind of grapevine there that, just by being in a certain vicinity of its fruit, creates a drunken effect in whoever's in range, regardless of their alcohol tolerance."

The Bandit King and his black avian perked their heads up.

"The Grapevine of Dionysius?" Kir questioned, eyes wide.

"Why, I do believe it's called that, Mr. Birdie," the doctor continued. 'Why do you ask?"

"Will you stop calling me that!"

"Well, we just happened to be looking for that very plant,' Jing explained. "We were going to do research at Zaza, but now that we know where to find some, we won't need to. Guess it's just as well that we missed our stop."

"But how are you gonna collect it if it makes you drunk just getting near it?' asked Tia.

"Well, Jing here don't get drunk easy," Kir assured.

"But the doctor said that tolerance level doesn't help at all," the black-haired boy reminded.

"Oh yeah…"

"Perhaps these will help," offered the ruddy-coated man, tossing them a couple of small golden objects on silver chains.

"What's this?" asked the gray-eyed boy, holding up the object to the light for a closer look. The dark albatross studied it in his wing.

It was shaped like a small honeycomb, with a glossy finish. Engraved in the center was an upside down pyramid of circles, with a single triangle at the top. There were odd characters scrawled along the thick edges.

"It's a talisman," the olive-eyed doctor explained. "It's used to ward off magic of ill will, and of other similar powers. And it seems that the energy emitted from those plants seem to fall under that category, as studies prove that it protects against the drunken effect it causes."

"Huh," Jing replied. "How interesting that you know of such things, doctor."

"I like to keep an open mind."

"Are you sure these things work?' questioned the dark bird. "Anyway, how much longer until we get there?"

"Well, it should be…" the jade-eyed girl began, when the train started to slow down, the brakes lightly screeching. "…right about now."

"Finally," Kir stated, as he and Jing were heading towards the door. "My wings are all stiff."

"TIA!" a deep voice boomed from down the hall. The waitress immediately froze, reluctantly turned her head to face to the man storming into the train car.

He was a large man, not in a chubby way, but a muscular way, and quite tall. The man's face was partly obscured by his massive mustache and very bushy eyebrows, but his anger was all too visible on the features that could be seen. His entire body was enclosed in a think blanket of soot, and he smelled strongly of charcoal.

"What's this I'm hearing about you skipping work…AGAIN!" the bushy-browed man roared, causing Tia to shrink back slightly.

"I-I wasn't skipping," she squeaked. "I-I was just staying back here to make sure that the young man who got sick earlier was allright…"

"I believe that's why I hired this guy," the man with the enormous mustache growled, pointing to the doctor, who eyed him with some annoyance. "And even if something did go wrong, what could you do anyway? You don't look like a medical expert to me."

"N-no. But-"

"Hey, what's your problem?' snapped Kir, flying up into the man's face. "She was just being-"

"Shut up, carcass breath," the sooty man hissed, showing Kir aside. "Now you guys get offa here. This is the last stop. You too, Tia."

'What? But-"

"You're fired!'

She opened her mouth to say something more, only for her to close it and let her eyes drop to the floor.

"…Yes, sir."

"Now offa here! Off! Off! Off!" the hairy man barked, throwing the doors open and showing everyone but the doctor out. "And don't come back."

The doors slammed shut, and soon the train was moving once again. The ruddy-clothed doctor was looking outside the window.

"You know, this isn't good for business," he stated to the man just beginning to leave. "I might decide to just vanish into the air at any moment, you know."

"Ah, shaddup, you quack," he spat, before completely exiting the train car.

The doctor glared at the door for a few minutes before drawing something out of his pocket. It was a large, crimson feather, almost as glossy as a mirror. He smiled as he held it up to the light.

"This should be most interesting indeed, Bandit Boy."

**17th Shot: Meanwhile, at Pan's**

"Say, any of you guys ever been to Cheshiria?"

The question came from a man clad in dark brown leather, with goggles resting on top of his helmet, sipping from a large beer mug. You may know this man better as Postino the motorcycle mailman.

He spoke two men sitting next to him. One was a blond that was considerably taller and younger than he was, dressed in a similar outfit that was just slightly too big for him. The other man was only a little taller, but much older, with gray hairs sprinkled in his brown ones, and was quite a bit on the chubby side. His clothes, along the same lines as the first two, were a bit too small for him.

The trio was hanging out at a place known as Pan's. It was just an average bar contained in the ruins of a train that had wrecked long ago. Though it was located inside a desert, plants flourished around the shattered locomotive, steadily climbing the bent sides and broken wheels. The keepers tried to keep the growth in check, but each time they uprooted some, more came back faster, so after a while they saw it was no use. They let the vegetation wrap around the outside of the metal corpse, thickening and thickening until it became a new skin. No one who looked upon it now would ever guess its true identity, seeing nothing but a beautiful, if odd, collection of plants trained to grow into a structure all its own. It wasn't until they got inside that they caught glimpses of the bar's true origin.

It may have been in the middle of nowhere, but Pan's summoned forth many customers nonetheless. Quite a few of those customers lately seemed of the dishonest kind, taking drinks without paying, but the majority were more or less honest. It seemed to place was always overflowing with visitors, as people streamed in and out of the foliated bar constantly. The bits of growth that sprouted through the cracks, that snaked through the gashes in the sides, that hung down lazily from the holes in the ceiling, only seemed to attract more and more people. Not even the vines that curled themselves around the stools and tables seemed to bother the drinkers. It was strange, really. Any other place would be accused of being unclean, but not this one. Then again, maybe it was because it was never meant to be like those other places.

"Never been there myself," spoke the blond boy, tinkering with the oversized goggles hanging around his neck. "I've heard it's next to impossible to get there though, with their ocean always shifting currents and summoning sudden storms and such."

"And all those seas monsters out there to eat you up!" the chubby man laughed. "But I did make it there a few times, somehow. Why do you ask, Postino? Have _you_ been there?"

"Yeah, Facteur, a couple of times," Postino answered, looking up to where some sunshine was slipping through some cracks the vines and flowers hadn't quite covered while a merry party at another table sang some strange song in another language. "But not enough times, it seems. I want to know more about that place, and what it's like there."

"Hahaha! That's ol' Postino for ya, eh Cartero?" Facteur bellowed, slapping the blond with the oversized clothes hard on the back, almost causing the younger man to spill his drink. "He's just gotta know everything, doesn't he?"

"Heh…yeah," Cartero replied a bit nervously. It looked like the alcohol was finally starting to get to the older man's head.

"But hey, that's what makes Postino Postino!" Facteur added, before taking another swig from his mug and slamming it down on the counter. "So, whaddaya wanna know?"

"Well, what I would like to know most about is if there have been any severe natural disasters in the past few years," Postino explained, picking at a skinny vine growing on the counter surface.

"Have there been natural disasters? Of _course_ there've been natural disasters! It's Cheshiria!" the plump man exclaimed joyfully, causing some people who were not yet quite stinking drunk to stare at him strangely. "They get them natural disasters all the time, with all that nutty weather of theirs!"

"Well then, can you tell me of those that had some heavy casualties, ones that wiped out entire villages?" asked the leather-clad man.

"You'll have to be more specific than that!" Facteur answered loudly, lifting up his mug. "That kinda thing is regular, for a Chesirian. Weather goes off and kills off some of 'em, and they _still_ ain't scared of it. Tough bunch, those Chesirians."

"Is that so?"

"Yep."

"Then this is gonna be harder than I thought…"

**18th Shot: And Here We Are…But Where's Here?**

"So who was that charming fellow?' growled Kir, glaring at the train as it slowly chugged out of sight.

Tia simple sighed.

"That would be my boss. Well, my former boss, anyway."

"I can't believe that guy fired a lovely girl like you just for being nice!" the black albatross exclaimed indignantly.

"Oh, it's not such a big deal really," the ex-waitress replied quietly. "…I was probably going to quit soon anyway."

"I can see why," the dark bird responded dryly.

While the avian and the girl conversed, Jing was busy scanning the area around him. The train-stop they were standing at seemed to be occupied only by sandy winds. A sign nearby, with its paint peeling off and numerous vines twisted around it, barely contained the message _Welcome to Bacc. _Beyond the sign, there was only a sea of desert dust.

That is, except for one spot, where all kinds of plants were thriving in one huge clump. All kinds of vehicles were parked beside it: giant birds, horse-lizards, a couple of cars, one made of cheese, a pogo stick, and three motorcycles packed with mail. Barely above the mass of vegetation, with vines curling up its base, was a bright neon sign flashing the word _Pan's_.

Jing walked up to one of the package-carrying motorcycles and studied it for a bit.

"Well, looks like Postino's here."

His other two companions suddenly halted their chatter, giving him a briefly confused stare, and then walked over to where the King of Bandits was standing.

"Hey, ain't that Postino's bike?" Kir asked.

"Sure looks like it."

"Postino?" questioned Tia. "Is he a friend of yours?"

"You could say that," the dark albatross answered. "Why don't we pay him a visit, Jing? Maybe he knows something about this Bacc place."

The gray-eyed boy smirked.

"Why not?"

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

"Say, don't you have a Chesirian friend?" Facteur asked. "Pretty young guy, ain't he?"

"Yeah," Postino answered, taking a sip from his drink while watching an especially drunk bear person stumbling around and calling himself the King of Lalaland. "Kid's always on some adventure or other."

"Ain't that the life to lead, ol' buddy!" the plump companion cheered, taking up his mug and accidentally splashing Cartero in the process. "You'll never be bored that way. If you got any nagging troubles, there's nothing like a good journey to push 'em to the back of your mind. Yeah, that's the life! That's why I took this mailing job. You'll get to go anywhere you want to, eventually."

"I miss my family and friends back home though,' piped up the blond, trying to ring the frothy beer out of his leather cap. "I'm always so busy I rarely get to see them. And my Novia…"

"Still going steady with her?" asked the older man, smirking.

"Yeah…"

"Look, Facteur,' Postino interrupted, seeming just slightly annoyed. "What was that you were saying earlier, about there being some monster blizzard that-"

"Yo, Postino!"

The leather-clad man almost jumped at the sound of his name. Snapping his head in the direction of the voice, he noticed a raven-hued silhouette at the entrance of the bar, with the shadow of a bird perched on his shoulder. Two pairs of gray-hued eyes gleamed from the blackness.

"Who's that?" asked Cartero, leaning over to get a better look.

Oh, this is the friend I was talking about earlier," Postino replied. "The Chesirian one. Meet Jing."

"Why hello there!" the overweight man greeted loudly, waving at the new arrival just a little too much. "How's that weather of yours in Cheshiria?"

"'Fraid I can't tell you," the gray-eyed boy answered, shrugging and stepping into the bar. With his back no longer directly against the sun, the black that had cloaked his body evaporated away, replaced by its proper colors. The bird also came into better view, revealed to be a black albatross with a red bandana hanging around his neck. "Haven't been there recently myself."

Cartero craned his neck some more to get a clearer look, and seemed slightly surprised at what he saw.

"You don't look like a Chesirian," the blond blurted out. "I mean, you have the eyes and the dark hair, but I thought Chesirians had tanned skin. Are you only half-Chesirian, perhaps?"

"He most certainly is not!" Kir barked, as if it was the most indecent thing that could ever be said. "Jing here is 100 Chesirian, and don't you forget it!"

The younger mailman shrunk back slightly.

Jing sighed.

"It's allright. You see, my skin's not that dark because I haven't been back there for years. I left when I was...about eight, I think…and I'm fourteen now."

"Oh, I see," Cartero replied, nodding. "Sorry about that."

"No problem. I get that a lot," the raven-haired boy responded casually. "So, what brings you here, Postino?"

"I'm on break with my buds here,' Postino answered, finishing up the last of his beer. "The blond is Cartero, and Facteur's the veteran here."

"Nice to meet you."

"Now let me guess," Postino began. "You're looking for the Grapes of Dionysius."

"Hey, how'd you know?" asked Kir.

It's the rarest and most valuable thing in Bacc," the leather-clad mailman stated. "In fact, it's the only rare and valuable thing here in Bacc, from what I've seen and heard."

"Really?" Jing asked, examining all the foliage seeping in from the outside skin of plants.

"Yeah. But it's strange though," Postino continued, leaning against the counter. "It seems that a lot of outsiders besides you have been seeking it lately. It's always been sought after, of course, it seems like there's an especially high demand for it lately."

"Huh," Jing replied. "Well, guess me and Kir better hurry up and start looking for it before it's all gone, if it's that popular."

The boy in the blazing coat turned around and started to leave.

"I wouldn't go on foot if I were you,' advised the mailman. "The wildlife out there will gladly tear your limbs off."

The Bandit King stopped to turn his head back at Postino.

"…Thanks for the info," he answered, before completely exiting the growth-bound locomotive ruin otherwise known as _Pan's_.

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

"So, what'd your friend have to say?' questioned Tia. The jade-eyed girl has stayed outdoors, fearing that there might be some less pleasant drunks waiting inside.

"Enough to go on," Jing replied, looking at a nearby sign, also overgrown with vines. It had a faded blue arrow that pointed south, the words _To Thebes _written in black marker on the inside of the arrow.

"He told us we needed a ride to get there, or the local monsters would that us for lunch," Kir explained. "But where are we supposed to pick up a ride in this god-forsaken sand dump?"

"That shouldn't be problem."

The black avian turned to Jing in confusion.

"Whaddaya mean, Jing? There's inside anyplace to get a ride anywhere near here!"

'Sure there is," the gray-eyed boy replied.

His eyes were not on Kir, but instead on a certain motorcycle loaded with mail.

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

When Postino emerged from _Pan's _(nice and sober, mind you) he was already planning out his mail route for the next few days. First a couple of letters to that guy in Milky Way, then that shipment to the old lady and her daughter in the City of Thieves, then a package to that cop girl that now ran Blue Hawaii, then some wedding invitation replies to that couple in Coco Oco…But as soon as he stepped outside, he saw he couldn't start his trips just yet.

Not unless he planned on doing the entire route on foot.

There was no motorcycle to greet him when he entered the sunshine. Instead, there were only his mailbags, with a small note pinned underneath them.

The leather-clad man bent down, extracted the note, and read:

_**While The Mailman's Away**_

_**The Cat Will Play**_

_**-Bandit King**_

_**Ho! Ho! Ho!**_

Right below the signature there was a small drawing of a cat face with swirly eyes and a smile far too wide to be sane.

Postino broke into a smirk.

_Crazy kid._

"Hey, everything allright?' he heard Cartero call from inside.

"Oh, fine, just fine,' Postino yelled back, stuffing the note into his pocket. "Seems I won't have to go just yet after all."

He heard his friends cheer.

_Which is just as well. This'll give me more time to gather information anyway…_

AN: _Heh, I just HAD to have Jing take his bike XP. Oh, and treats to those who can figure out where I got the names for Postino's friends (hint: it helps to know where Postino's name came from)_

_Next time: Jing and the others may be cruising on Postino's motorcycle, but will that be enough to help them survive an encounter with the wild ones that roam the sands? And not too many people sober or sane wander the streets of the forgotten Thebes... _

_Cya!_


	7. A World Roaring With Unrealized Delirium

_Hiya guysNow the real adventure begins! That's right, this chapter should have actually has action in it for you fight lovers. It's not all war though; it does have a fair amount of dialogue at the latter part of it._

_School has just started for me. I'm a senior this year. A SENIOR (falls over). HELP! Quick, get my cane, get my dentures!_

_But you guys don't care about that, now do you? XP_

_Disclaimer: Uh, let's see, I could catch Jing and make him mine, but then he'd kidnap me and then I'd belong to him, so...I STILL wouldn't own Jing. So I do not own everyone's favorite Bandit King, no. I do own Tia, my version of Thebes, Bacc and its 'wildlife', and Babble, though._

**19th Shot: May the Gods Help You**

"Are you _sure_ this is a good idea?" Tia asked nervously, clinging to Jing as the motorcycle they rode on roared through the desert, frightening off large factions of pale golden sands.

"Don't worry, I'll be giving it back," the Bandit King assured her. He was currently wearing a worn pair of round goggles he had stashed away in that endless hole of a jacket pocket he had. "Besides, he _did_ say that we would need something to ride through the desert. I'm sure he'll understand."

"If you say so…"

"I sure don't see any vicious monsters or anything," Kir reported from his perch on the top of Jing's head, surveying the area as they were zooming through. "In fact, I don't see a single living thing around – WHOA!"

The mechanical hog stopped dead in its tracks as it nearly ran into a huge skeleton that seemed to pop out of nowhere. It was the remains of a dragon of some kind, as the rib cages towered at least ten feet above them.

Or they would have, if they weren't so atrociously broken and splintered. Instead, the many pieces of the former dragon ribcage la shattered on the ground, slowly being swallowed by the hungry sands. And it wasn't just the rib cage; the entire skeleton was unbelievably mutilated, crushed almost to colorless powder. Even the skull looked like it had been torn apart by an incredible force, with the lower jaw roughly ripped off and tossed a few feet aside.

Now that they better inspected the area, they realized that many more disfigured bones lay about, belonging to myriads of animals. Including, from the best they could tell, humans.

"What in the world happened here?" Kir questioned fearfully, his head whipping back and forth in a panic.

"I don't think we want to stick around to find out," Jing stated, revving up the motorcycle and speeding off like a chased lightning bolt.

The fractured and smashed bones only grew more numerous as they rocketed through the sweltering wasteland, seeming like they were both daring them to go on and pleading for them to turn back at the same time. Oftentimes the sand and rocks around the bones were glaring red instead of modest yellow, and sometimes there was still flesh clinging to the skeletons. It was these recent, half-consumed corpses that were the most menacing, sharp warnings that the very same could befall them as well.

"A-Are you sure these Grapes of Dionysius are worth getting?" the girl with dark green hair stammered after they passing a partially-eaten giant bird, its beautiful feathers ripped out in clumps and strewn everywhere. "I mean, they may be rare, but-"

"I've seen worse," the Bandit King replied nonchalantly, steel-hued eyes set on the skeleton-littered horizon.

Tia nearly choked.

"Y-You've seen-"

"Hey Jing, what's that?"

The other two snapped to attention at the sound of the black albatross's voice.

Right in their path of travel was a woman with long hair, wearing nothing but ragged fawn skin and a crown of vines wrapped around her head. Right then her back was turned to them, but they could still see the content on her face as she suckled her baby. Only this wasn't a baby of her own kind, but a young wolf pup with fur mixed with gray and black, also wearing a crown of vines around his head. The woman didn't seem to notice the difference though, and neither did the wolf pup.

"What the-" Kir muttered, before nearly getting thrown off of Jing's head as the motorcycle hastily swerved to avoid the woman and her cub. She let out a shriek of surprise as the trio blazed past her, whipping up a thundercloud of golden dust.

"Why was that lady breastfeeding a wolf cub!" the black avian exclaimed. "I mean, that cub's mother might want it back. Besides, that _can't_ be good for her-"

The dark bird was once again interrupted when wild screams and screeches flew into the air.

The otherworldly cries had erupted from a pack of people who seemed to be along the same lines as the woman they'd just shot by. They were dancing around manically, twirling and throwing their vine-cloaked wooden rods in the air and stabbing the sands with them, causing milk and wine to somehow ooze from the dry golden dust. Along with the human and human-like species, scores of wild animals bearing their own crowns of vines were part of the bizarre ritual, adding their own deranged cries to the screeches.

And what were they dancing around? The fresh carcass of a brutally slain horse.

"J-J-Jing…" Kir croaked, retreating behind the gray-eyed boy's head and peeking through his spiky black hair. "A-Are those-"

The Bandit King never got the chance to answer, as a loud, furious string of yells exploded behind them. The trinity of allies snapped their heads to the source of the angry shouts.

It was the woman they had nearly run over earlier, taking swift leaping strides much like those of a deer. She still clung to the wolf pup she has been feeding not too long ago. She bore an expression of great rage as she carried on her uproar.

Now they could see the madness in both her and her pup's eyes, the pure madness. It slithered and twisted just beneath the eye's surface, writhing and slipping around like a delirious snake made feverish by its own venom. Those poisoned eyes were locked onto the Bandit King and his companions, and conveyed to them a simple, sickening message: _You are my prey_

The boy with dust-hued eyes felt the hair on the back on his neck stand up as the mental message seemed to repeat itself over and over, only with different voices. Turning his head to where the ruckus should have been, he saw that the other vine-crown bearers were now standing all too still, those eyes dancing with feverish shadow snakes focused on the newcomers. They began to creep closer, slowly, slowly.

"Look, fresh cougars," hissed one of humans, bearing a sack that could have very well have belonged to a thief. "I wouldn't mind having a second meal either. What about you guys?"

"Uh…Jing….We got a problem…" Kir squeaked.

The air was shattered by waves of battle cries.

The mechanical hog instantly roared to life the moment the deranged screams exploded into being, terrified dust fleeing from the rocketing motorcycle.

The crazed creatures in front of them didn't flee like the golden sands, however. Instead they only gleefully lunged forward in an attempt to capture the rushing hog. The bike either evaded the leaps or the pounces missed altogether, but this hardly deterred them. In fact, one of them did manage to land onto the vehicle; one of the smaller vine-bound lizards. Long claws digging into the metal, eyes swirling with delirious satisfaction, face twisted into a face-ripping maniacal grin, it set its sights on the female rider aboard the motorcycle. Then, it raised its huge claws…

…and was promptly blown into dust by a well-timed Kir Royale. What remained of the disturbing beast was soon carried away by gravity and the winds. The green-haired girl let out a quivering sigh of relief.

"You okay?" asked Jing, paying a quick glance backward before setting his gaze back on the road. Kir, still attached to the black-haired boy's arm, was acting as a substitute for his hand, gripping the handlebar with his beak.

"Y-Yeah. For now…"

Simply fleeing from the deranged pack of bloodthirsty beasts wasn't going to work, however. Despite the bike's excellent speed, the monsters not only kept up, but were actually gaining on the trio. Some threw their rods at them, causing milk and wine to bleed from the stricken sands where the motorcycle had been only moments before. Others threw bones of consumed prey, some still with bloodstains. Still others only screeched at the top of their lungs, but were terrifying all the same.

"Get ready Kir," Jing commanded, as he pointed the albatross at the raging pursuers, both of them beginning to glow green with power.

"Give me a Kir Royale!"

The sheer force behind the blasts caused the bike to swerve. While Jing regained control of the mechanical hog, the blasts of energy exploded on contact with the first creatures it struck, summoning clouds of dust in their wake. The pack erupted from the yellow storm, yelling and screaming all the way, but considerably fewer in number.

Instead of fleeing, Jing twisted the motorcycle around and screeched to a stop, his steel-hued gaze locked onto the stampeding predators. Without a battle-cry or even a witty remark, he once again aimed his dark avian at the approaching maelstrom of enemies and unleashed another flurry of green blasts. The first detonated all across the sands, throwing up a golden mist, while the following attacks went right for the pale silhouettes and tossed even more desert dust into the air. As the cloud cleared, the remaining vine-bound creatures fled away with the wounded. And a witness to all this, forgotten, was a certain girl with dark green hair, her wide eyes staring and the scorched scene before her.

Kir coughed a few times, and then broke out into a smirk.

"Ha! We sure showed them!" boasted the black albatross, sounding a little hoarse. "I'll need to rest my throat some before I go blow anything else up, though."

"Hey, no problem," the boy with dust-hued eyes replied, smiling as the dark bird detached from his arm and reverted to his usual form. "We're almost to our next destination."

Jing pointed over to a group of garbled and upset buildings that were just below in a valley of sand. They appeared to be dark brown and gray from decay, with a ring of growth circling around the limits, though no vegetation actually went into the city itself. Hanging tilted across two towering metal poles, with vines enwrapping it, was a sign that read _Welcome to Thebes, A Most Glorious Place_.

"Looks like a real dumpy place," the black albatross remarked. "You sure this is right?"

"Well, it was the place on the sign near the train station," Jing stated. "Might as well give it a shot. Besides, our new friends might come back to pay us a visit if we hang around here too long."

"You got a point."

As the mechanical hog rumbled down the sandy slope towards the city, Tia's hands clutched her arms as she observed the scenery with an anxious look in her eyes. It seemed like danger could be overflowing from the hills at any moment, ready to pour down into the valley and suck them in, or that the seemingly docile ruins below could suddenly explode into flames and swallow them in their ravenous hunger. Perhaps even the quiet golden dust could suddenly blind them and consume them if it do desired.

But the one thing that she gazed upon with the most fearfulness was a certain gray-eyed boy in front of her, a certain boy called Jing.

**20th Shot: The City Drowning in Dizzy Delusion**

"W-Well, t-that was pretty close earlier, huh?" Tia stuttered as the motorcycle rolled into dingy-looking ruins, eventually stopping in front of what might have been a drugstore.

"Yeah, but you don't have to worry about them anymore, my dear lady," Kir bragged, perching on her shoulder and leaning against her. "Now why don't we just relax and enjoy the sights, eh?"

"I dunno…"

"Why, looky here! We got visitors, my friends! Visitors! Visitors!" a voice slurred behind them cheerfully before letting out a large hiccup.

The trio twisted their heads around to see a man in a dirty white shirt and muddy khaki pants, smiling somewhat stupidly. His eyes had a friendly but bleary look to them as he stood there swaying side to side.

"Looks like this guy's had one too many beers," stated the black avian, studying the drunk-looking man with disgust and annoyance. "Even if I can't smell it."

"Beer? Who needs beer? We have _here_!" the man exclaimed happily, throwing his hands up in the air and stumbling back a few steps in the process.

"Huh?" asked Kir, putting his wings on his hips and giving the intoxicated stranger a strange look as Jing got off his bike.

"It's the vibe of this country, isn't it?" questioned the boy in the blazing coat, helping the jade-eyed girl get off the motorcycle. "The power of the Grapes of Dionysius."

"Oh, you know already?" asked the seemingly-drunken man, tumbling forward a bit. "Grand thing, isn't it?"

"But if everyone's drunk all the time, then no one works,' Tia began, looking up at the decaying buildings. "And when no one works, everything falls apart. This place is a mess."

"Whaddaya talking about? It's a gorgeous place!" exclaimed the intoxicated stranger, his hands wildly thrown into gestures. "Here the houses are made of gold and the streets are made of silver, and alcohol falls from the sky as rain. See? Everything's still got a reddish sheen from the last red wine storm. It's so pretty when the sun shines on it all like it is now. How could you say this place is a dump? It's been blessed by the gods, I say!"

The trio gave each other disturbed looks.

"So lighten up and soak in the splendor!" added the cheerful stranger, letting out another loud hiccup. "Now that I think of it, you guys seem awfully serious. Ain't you feeling the spirit of this place yet?"

" 'Fraid not," the raven-haired boy admitted. "You see, we brought these special talismans with us so we wouldn't get too involved in the partying. We've got business here we need to take care of, you see."

"But you don't have one, Tia," Kir noticed, flying over to her. "How come you're still sober?"

"I got one," Tia told the dark albatross, holding up a duplicate talisman that she had kept in her shirt pocket. "The doctor on the train gave me one earlier, while your friend was still sleeping."

"Ah, but don't you want to come join us in all our fun?" whined the drunken-looking man, looking rather disappointed. "Aphrodite and Eros are going to be coming later for a drinking party. Certainly you have love interests, as young as you are. You could always ask the masters of love and beauty to make them fall in love with you. They're in charge of it after all."

"…Maybe another time," responded the Bandit King.

"That's a shame really. Shame shame shame…" the intoxicated stranger remarked, shaking his head. "This place just sweeps away allllll of your troubles away. Everything bad gone. Gone gone gone."

"Well, there is something you could help us with," Jing added. "What do you know about those people and animals dressed in fawn-skin and vines outside in the desert area?"

"Oh them. Those are the maddened ones," the drunk-looking man relied airily, smiling goofily. "Those were the ones who went too far into the heart of Bacc. The gods don't like it when you get too far into Bacc. That's their place. So they make people who get a wee bit too near their home go nuts. And that's how you get maddened ones. Thebes is just the right place though, close enough to wash away your fears but not enough to completely lose your head. Yep, losing your head. Go much further beyond Thebes and you'll lose your head and it'll never come back."

For some reason he giggled uncontrollably after he said this.

But before the trio could say another word, the intoxicated man staggered off unsteadily, calling to the thin air where a goddess supposedly stood.

Tia gave Jing another worried look as they began to take a stroll through the so-called paradise known as Thebes. It seemed people from all over had drifted into this drunken wasteland, and not without consequence. Small gangs of mixed races danced merrily in the street, singing away happily, if not quite on key. There was one lizard-woman arguing with her shadow, demanding that it tell her at once where her husband had wandered off to, and seeming to have forgotten about everything else around her. Two apparently angry drunks had engaged in a real battle, claiming that they were knights in shining armor from opposing countries. Then there were a couple of thieves just lying around, staring up at the sky and muttering to themselves.

Not too far from these lazy bandits sat a chubby middle-aged man with a receding hairline, his eyes set on the grimy street. He showed no signs of noticing the trinity of travelers as they approached.

"Hey!" called out Jing, walking closer to the man. "Happen to know where they keep the Grapes of Dionysius around here?"

As the overweight man lifted up his head to look at the black-haired boy, the two of them found themselves recognizing each other.

"Wait, aren't you-"

"You're that tramp," the balding man named Babble stated, letting out a weary sigh. "I'd have a few words with you about how you've messed up my life lately, but honestly I just don't care anymore. Lucky you."

"Oh, I'm sure it's not that bad," Tia tried to reassure, a timid smile on her face.

"Kid, don't you act like you know what you're talking about, 'cause you don't," the chubby man growled.

"But-"

"Ah, let him sulk," Kir interrupted casually. "If he wants to wallow in his misery, then let him."

"Sir, would you happen to know where the Grapes of Dionysius are kept?" Jing asked, repeating his earlier question casually.

"Oh, I dunno. Somewhere up north, I think," the overweight man muttered, picking at a growing tear in his overalls. "Don't blame me if they those maddened ones go off and eat you, though. You better take some meat and wine as distractions if you plan to get halfway there in one piece."

"Doesn't sound like a bad idea," the steel-eyed boy answered, as he and Kir began to amble off.

"Wait! What about this-" Tia began, referring to the gloomy man sitting on the edge of the sidewalk.

""If you want to stay here and comfort the old guy, be my guest," the Bandit King answered. "Me and Kir'll be off to get our treasure soon, and it'll probably be too dangerous for you with all the maddened ones running around in the desert outside."

"Don't worry, we'll pick you up later!" called Kir. "Then we'll go off together to a much better place than this dump."

"Um…allright…I guess…" she replied reluctantly.

"We'll be ready to go once we pick up a few supplies here," the raven-haired boy finished, getting on the back of the motorcycle while two men nearby were singing _Ring Around the Rosies _while dumping buckets of water on each other's heads. "So for now just make yourself at home."

"Just be careful!" the girl with dark green hair shouted as the mechanical hog roared off.

Jing gave back a quick wave in response, while struck a cool pose and blew her a kiss.

"I do hope they know what they're doing…" Tia murmured to herself.

_I'm not entirely sure if I got Thebes right, since I am ( fortunately) not familar with any drunks. Hopefully it sounds close enough, though. _

_Please let me know what you think, or of any suggestions you may have. I'm fully open to critisism as long as it's rational._

_**Next Chapter:** Seems Jing and his pal Kir are ready to take on more trouble. At least they seem to be ready. But are they really? A large, vineless shadow looms in the sky above, but perhaps this shadow is more dangerous than any of the maddened ones they're bound to face. And even if they get past all the desert, can they handle the delirious guardians that await them? Meanwhile, Babble and Tia have a heated disccusion over just who the Bandit King really is, and about the pasts that shadow them both._

_Well, a lot's gonna to be happening in the coming installment, so be sure not to miss it!_

_Cya!_


	8. Watchers, Guardians, and the Wildcard

_Well, the next chap's here. It's a bit helter-skelter, since the last two chapters were a pain in the butt to write out (especially the last part, which needed to be completely rewritten.) but hopefully it'll make some sense. _

_Went to a Mew convention sometime last month, that one where they were giving away Mews at Toy R Us. Spent two weeks preparing for that, and it was well worth it. It wasn't just getting Mew though. It was being able to trade other Pokemon with so many different people. Heh, I stayed after getting Mew just so I could trade XP. Though it's kinda funny and kinda sad; out of all the people I traded with, I only know the real name of one of them. The others I'll all remember by their game Trainer names. I shout out to Ash, Velvet, Hellboy, and everyone else I traded with there, even if you never read this._

_Anyways…disclaimer…_

_Own a King of Bandits? How do you own a King of Bandits? They're such sneaky fellows…nope, don't own Jing. However, I do own a big red bird and a trio of guardians, who you will meet later… _

**21st Shot: Ruby Feathers, Emerald Eyes, and Silver Strings**

"Are you sure it's okay to just leave her there?" questioned Kir, looking back at the city with a distrustful expression.

"Taking her with us wouldn't be any less so," replied Jing, as they sped along on the golden sands on the motorcycle. Tied securely to the mechanical hog was a striped bag stuffed full of food and wine bottles, distractions for the inevitable encounters with the Wild Ones, as they were called. Along the path they traveled were sporadic growths that were more or less in a line, the ones that the inhabitants of Thebes said led to the madness.

As the Bandit King scanned the path for any skeletal remains that might hint at the Wild Ones' current whereabouts, suddenly a large silhouette swept over them.

The steel-eyed boy jerked his head up to the sky, but nothing was to be seen but blinding sunshine. He squinted through his goggles.

"What was that?" Kir asked, also gazing up at the supposedly empty sky and holding his wing over his eyes.

"I dunno."

"You don't think it was a maddened one, do you?"

"It's possible," responded Jing, his gaze set back on the path drowned in dust. "After all, they are supposed to be more common the further you travel into Bacc. I guess the closer you get to the Grapes of Dionysius, the more likely you are to fall under its spell."

"Makes me glad we have these," the black avian commented, holding up the golden talisman that was hanging around his neck. "Speaking of which, here they come!"

Jing had noticed them before Kir did. Myriads of them were beginning to swarm on the horizon, flowing in from barren rocks and bushes like red wine. They were already screeching and hollering, and some especially zealous ones were already throwing their staffs at the thieving duo.

The raven-haired boy immediately threw a couple of the wine bottles wrapped in rags from the bag, tossing them far to the right. The crazed creatures dove after them, scrambling and struggling and having spats over the grape-created alcohol as Jing and Kir hurried out of the densely populated area.

But not all stayed hypnotized on the discarded drink. Those who were on the ridges of the crowd noticed their prey slipping away.

"The deer! The deer!" one delirious-eyed rabbit woman cried out, instantly breaking into pursuit along with several others. "They're getting away!"

"Uh-oh, we've still got some company," the dark albatross warned as the demented chasers started to close in on the bike.

"Chuck out another wine bottle!" Jing commanded.

"Gotcha!" Kir answered, delving into the sack and throwing out some colorless alcohol at the pursuers.

The hunters abruptly changed course and stumbled over each other as they dashed towards the bottle cushioned with cloth.

"Ha! That wasn't so hard!" the dark avian taunted as the remaining maddened ones were swallowed by the horizon behind them.

"We're not done yet Kir," the boy in the blazing coat cautioned. "Look."

The black albatross obeyed his partner's suggestion, and balked at the sight before him.

There had to be hundreds of them. Hundreds, maybe thousands of maddened ones, all standing defiantly before them in a huge arc, with bloodlust and delusion twisting and blazing in their endlessly excited gazes.

"I-I don't think we have enough food and wine to hold these guys off," Kir stammered, seeming more than a little intimidated by the mass of insane animals before waiting eagerly for them.

"Well, we'll just have to make do," the steel-eyed boy responded, the mechanical hog screaming louder and louder under him as he forced it to speed up more and more. Toss everything out in different directions to disperse them some. Anyone left will either be barbeque or roadkill."

The black avian seized the old bag and lifted it up so he had better access to the bait inside. He was only able to fling out a couple chunks of meat, however, before the bag ripped open at the bottom and spilled all its contents over the sand.

"Oh boy…" Kir moaned. "Jing, you better step on it! We just lost all our food and wine."

The Bandit King only replied with a small grunt, his goggle-covered eyes narrowing as he ordered the mechanical hog he rode on to race on even faster. The engine whined within its metal frame.

While a good deal of the crazed hunters zoomed in onto the lost cargo, many more blatantly stayed in pursuit of the thieving duo. Their thrown staffs scraped against the bike, while the milk and wine that surfaced from the afflicted ground caused the speeding motorcycle to swerve erratically. While the mechanical hog slipped and slid around in the liquid cocktail, the maddened ones were swiftly closing in.

"Kir!"

"Right!"

The dark albatross landed on Jing's outstretch right arm, instantly shining green and transforming into his gun mode. The steel-eyed boy aimed the morphed bird's gaping beak was at the approaching horde.

"Give me a Kir Royale!"

The huge energy blasts shot out of Kir's mouth and promptly collided with the insane posse, flinging sand and screams into the sky, but the remaining pursuers rushed on unheeded by the explosions. The backlash of the blast did free the motorcycle of the liquid mess, however, and the duo of treasure robbers continued to flee.

As the hunters chased after them, Jing tried his best to keep on the path with the most vegetation, the supposed guide to the gods and the grapes. No sight of the legendary vine's birthplace was in view yet, but, judging by the amount of maddened ones tailing them, the black-haired boy figured they couldn't be too far. Though he blasted any crazed creatures that came too close with Kir Royale, more and more joined the pack as they raced down the sands.

In fact, the steel-eyed boy and the black avian were just performing another Kir Royale when one of the wooden rods struck Kir on the head, knocking him out and causing him to unleash his energy attack prematurely before reverting back to his normal form.

"Kir!" Jing cried out, swiftly catching the unconscious albatross with his free hand. The rescue nearly upset the squealing hog, forcing the dust-eyed boy to hastily correct the bike and plop the black bird into his lap at the same time.

And this received no mercy from the merciless. When Jing looked back to check on his seekers, the delirious predators were nearly on top of him.

A muscular jaguar-man hurled his staff and slashed the tire as his weapon whizzed by it, sinking into the rubber and causing hissing air to bleed out. The Bandit King managed to keep the motorcycle from toppling over by keeping a firm grip on the handlebars, but the wounded mechanical hog had no choice but to come to a slow but steady stop. As the pack of delirious creatures rushed into, Jing summoned his arm-blade, preparing himself for some all-too-close encounters.

A quick and lithe cat woman rushed beyond the others, raising her vine-bound staff and was about to strike the raven-haired boy. The Bandit King tensed his body and got ready to leap out of the way at any moment.

The blow may or may not have hit, but either way the staff's attack was blocked by a huge winged form that suddenly swooped down between the boy in the blazing coat and his assailant. Jing stared at the creature in surprise.

It was a giant bird, its ten feet in height dwarfing the dark albatross that he carried in his swordless hand. Brilliant scarlet feathers shining in the sunlight, it had its huge wings spread out. The ruby-colored avian possessed a slender figure, with a slim midsection and a sinewy neck. A trinity of lengthy feathers grew from the top of its head, all three of them colored a deep violet with golden trimmings along the edges. Its glossy tail feathers followed the same pattern, only in a superior size.

The herd of maddened ones had halted at its appearance, seeming puzzled by it. Then, one by one, they began to approach eagerly once more.

The crimson bird turned her gaze to Jing, allowing the Bandit King to catch a glimpse of the face. Its head was an oval-shaped head with a rose-colored beak much like a stork's, with slanted emerald-hued eyes that looked almost like they were lined with black eye-makeup. Those enchanting eyes seemed to flicker with annoyance as she plucked one of her beautiful red feathers.

Turning back to the crazed pack, the feather that rested in her long beak promptly dissolved into a clump of colorless strings, surrounded by a frosty aura like a frozen mirage. Throwing its head up, it flung the filaments into the air, where they lingered briefly before gliding down and wrapping themselves around the delirious hunters.

Once all the threads had fallen into place, the slender bird casually flicked her wings around a bit. The crazed animals, now seeming quite passive, all did a couple of simple movements in return, all at the same time, perfectly. Then the ruby-hued bird weaved her wings into increasingly complex motions, which the sedated beasts complied with without a thought to the gray-eyed boy they had been pursuing, who was now fixing the tire of the bike and watching them with confusion and amazement. As the lovely dance came to its close, the ruby avian turned its body around and bowed, revealing to Jing a sky-hued belly and inner wings, both ticked with black. As the other creatures mirrored their master, the emerald eyes swirled with mischief and the edge of the rose-colored beak was pulled into a smirk.

Jing said nothing, but paid a wary eye to the bird as he began to once again drive in the horizon as he slipped his insane cat mask from his pocket.

**22nd Shot: What is Under the Book's Cover?**

"Honestly though, what do you see in that tramp?"

Tia turned to Babble with a surprised and somewhat insulted look on her face.

"W-What do you mean?"

"You know what I mean," Babble replied, shifting his position on the musty sidewalk. "You like 'im don't you?"

"N-No!" the green-haired girl yelped out. "I, well I, I mean…yes, I do like him, but as a acquaintance. N-Nothing romantic or anything. It's just-"

"It's just that you think he's such a cool guy, being able to pull off all kinds of stunts to save his own hide as well as other people like you," Babble interjected. "And I supposed those cool steel eyes with that unruly hair and that confident strut doesn't hurt either."

"Well, he's certainly got his own style," Tia admitted. "It's like he's ready to take on whatever the world has to throw at him."

"He would laugh in the face of the devil."

"Yes."

"And nobody near him could ever be hurt because his sheer aura seems to protect him and the others around him. No one could ever mess with him even if he wanted to."

"Yes!"

"Like a knight in shining armor."

"Yes, exactly!"

"Kid," the chubby man began, leaning forward. "Those kinds of guys are usually anything but that."

"What are you talking about?!" the ex-waitress exclaimed. "Jing is a perfectly fine gentleman compared to so many of the other scum out there!"

"So Jing's his name, huh?" Babble inquired. "Well, I hate to break it to you, but that 'perfectly fine gentleman' is nothing more than a thieving tramp with no place to go and nothing to offer to a lady like you."

"That's not true!" the jade-eyed girl retorted. "I mean, even if he's nothing more than a penniless wanderer, he's different than those other greedy drifters and thieves. We have a lot of those kinds of people riding on the trains, either as customers or unofficial luggage in the back. I've seen all too much of their crudeness, of those tired eyes made up of nothing but cocktails of sadness and anger at themselves and others. I've often had to put up with being an outlet for their frustrations. But Jing's not like that. He's not like that at all."

"Let me guess," the balding man responded, seeming more cynical in his speech than ever. "All those other guys were old and ugly and sweaty like me, while this tramp has a pretty face and puppy dog eyes."

"That's not it," Tia growled. "He doesn't have a pitiful look to him like so many others do. He has a secure, calm spark to his eyes, the look of someone in full control of their life."

"Oh, I dunno about that," the chubby man interrupted. "I've seen his eyes before. They reflect a passion for adventure, eyes that seek excitement to charge headfirst into. That's not the life of a person content and in control of their destiny; that's the life of someone who is lacking something within themselves."

"But what is so unusual about wanting something we lack?" the girl with the dark green hair questioned. "I mean, very few people have everything they could ever want. What's so odd about searching for our desires? I've done it all my life."

But even as those words echoed in her mind, that memory from before seeped out into her thoughts. That energy blast that had saved them had been fired pitilessly into the crowd of those deranged savages. Even though those creatures were obviously sick in some way, couldn't the blast have been fired just near them, close enough to blind them while they fled to the city that was so close? And the look in those eyes, those hard steel eyes, as they briefly gazed upon the destruction before them, there had been something so empty about them, and yet not. It was like behind the iron and black curtain there was something writhing, wanting to get out, wanting to be fulfilled…

"And what have you been seeking your whole life?" asked Babble, seeming almost far away.

Tia snapped her attention back to reality and reverted her gaze to the balding man.

"For somewhere to belong," she replied simply.

"What was wrong with where you were born?" asked the chubby man, now lying sideways across the sidewalk and picking at his fraying shirt.

"I wasn't wanted," the jade-eyed girl responded. "I've been an orphan for as long as I can remember, wandering the streets trying to find some shelter for the time being. Sometimes I played with other kids, but most didn't want anything to do with me, or their parents would chase me away, calling me a street rat. I've always been on the move, and I've seen many interesting things as I've traveled, but it seems in the end they're all the same; no one wants me around hogging any housing or jobs or the like, so I leave. One reason I'd been working on the train the past year or so was so I could get free trips around the world, and perhaps see somewhere I like. I didn't think it would work, but I tried. So the fact that Jing is a drifter without a bank account doesn't bother me; in fact, that might be one reason I like him. He may claim to be a Bandit King, but I wonder if he's just searching for a home too…"

"Perhaps," answered Babble, rolling over on his back and looking up at the all-too-sunny sky. "After all, that's practically what I've done all my life. Never could settle down anywhere. I've run a couple businesses, but they tanked after a few years. To be honest, I see a lot of my younger self in that tramp, being a punk who was too cool for the rules. But that cost me in the end. I've hurt a lot of ladies and friends acting that way. So I think you'd better steer clear of him until he cools his heels some. Take from someone who's been there."

"Well, I suppose I don't mind waiting," Tia replied somewhat reluctantly. "After all, I have nothing else to wait for."

The balding man let out a quiet sigh, and sat himself back up.

"Look, if you're lonely and want someone to be with you and protect you, I don't blame you. It's a pretty nasty world out there," Babble stated. "But something's off about that tramp. He has wildness to him like I did when I was younger, but there's something else. It's like…I dunno what it's like. It's just something about those steel-colored eyes of his that blows a frosty wind down my spine. It's just not right."

**23rd Shot: The Delusions of a Guardian**

Guard it. Guard this place. Guard this place no matter what.

That was what he had been told to do, or had he volunteered himself? It didn't matter to this sentinel whether it had been a choice or not. It was his job now, and he wasn't going to let anything or anyone defile this sacred temple.

He was a teenage boy quite tall for his age, with deeply tanned skin true to his Chesirian origin, with vivid and watchful sapphire eyes. His chocolate-colored hair was semi-long and somewhat wavy, going down to about his chin. He was cloaked in a deep purple robe fashioned in the noble style of the gods themselves, which he had the honor to wear, being a guardian. Resting lightly across his muscular shoulders was a gleaming blade with a golden hilt engraved with the designs of a plant wrapped around it. A grand crown of vines rested upon his brow.

This Chesirian guardian paced in front of the temple made to serve Dionysius. The sacred sanctuary was embraced and protected by the vines that the wine god himself had created, its original mortal structure almost obscured from sight. The doors were barred with heavy slabs of golden metal to keep some of the lesser intruders out. Fountains of cherubs born from fine marble shot out unending streams of wine, a different fountain for each kind, circled the face of the temple. The sapphire-eyed protector surveyed the elaborate wine springs with satisfaction.

He was not the only one that had been chosen to guard this place, however. To his left was a lizard-man of about seven feet with golden scales and lime-green eyes, dressed in a robe much like his. Jagged fangs stuck out from the bottom of his mouth, giving him a bit of an overbite. Currently he was exterminating some renegade weed that had dared to invade this holy ground with a little of his fire breath, being careful to extinguish the flames as soon as the intruder had become nothing more than nourishment to the rest of the garden. To the right was a mechanical being modeled after the supposed human form of the great Dionysius. Not that it would fool anyone into thinking it was human; its entire body was enclosed in a skin of brazen bronze. Its carved expression betrayed no emotion, nor would it ever be allowed to. The only vague attempt at making the guardian robot seem human was its shape and the purple robe that cloaked its metallic body. Currently it was watering some of the numerous vines growing at the base of the shrine using a built-in sprinkler in the palm of its hand. Both of his fellow protectors also wore a crown of vines that were proudly set on their heads.

The guardian with darkened skin grew tired of his pacing, and sat himself upon the vine-cloaked steps.

Was that it for today? There had been so many intruders lately…

Then he became aware of a figure approaching the edge of the garden, one he did not recognize.

Apparently not.

The shadow didn't go unnoticed by his companions, either. The lizard man's body grew rigid, his thin pupils becoming even finer slits as he emitted a low snarl, while the mechanical guardian abruptly spun his head around 180 degrees to get a better look, while the rest of its body took more time adjusting itself to the right position.

The golden-scaled reptile shot a brief glance at the sapphire-eyed protector.

"Baiyu," the lizard man hissed to him.

The guardian with semi-long chocolate hair stood up narrowed his gaze, lifting his blade off of his shoulders.

"_Ulele," _the one called Baiyu replied. _"Uta quanai." _

As the shadows reluctantly let the figure slip out of their grasp, a young boy came out of the black cocoon. The child had spiky obsidian hair with a tattered orange jacket that went down almost to his feet. He was nonchalantly humming softly to himself, his hands were tucked into his pockets as he calmly strolled into the light surrounded the sanctuary. A black bird was perched on his left shoulder, looking around at all the glorious scenery.

But where a human's face should have been was instead a face very different, that of a crazed feline. It was deep purple, with neon-green eyes twisted into spirals and a toothy smile that was far too wide. The head was bent down slightly, as if looking at the ground, but its expression remained disturbingly unchanged as the outsider continued to tread on holy ground.

This must be a demon. It had to be a demon.

Baiyu thrust his sword in front of him, pointing it at the outsider not several feet away.

"_Lai! Kero nuia lai?!"_

The feline-faced one paused and looked at the blade-bearing guardian, showing no sign of emotion, or even any change in its dark face at all. Baiyu's fellow protectors quietly shifted to more effective battle positions.

Then a voice came from the demon one, though its teeth and lips never moved. It sounded quite young and playful, like its body stature would suggest, but the sound seemed muffled, almost far away.

"_Igo lai aupap aulele kanaka Jing ugo uvav ta utak keh japosvinos de Dionysius?"_

The guardian of Chesirian origin further slimmed his eyes until they were barely slits. So this catlike fiend spoke his language, did it?

"_Kizma nuia lai zir, shurikiki?!" _barked the dark-skinned teenager.

The one with the feline face was quiet for a moment before its calm voice spoke again.

"…_ta utak keh japosvinos de Dionysius."_

"You certainly have some nerve, just marching in here and saying that!" growled the golden-colored lizard-man, curling his lips and bearing his many jagged teeth. Though Baiyu's companions didn't speak Chesirian, they had little trouble understanding it. "What makes you think we would just lead you to where the grapes are kept?"

"Well, we seem to be at the right place, Jing," stated the black bird on the demon's shoulder, speaking for the first time. "…For whatever you said back there."

Baiyu watched the bird warily. Was it a demon too? A familiar of some kind? Then again, talking birds were of little rarity. After all, there was that large red one with streaming purple tail-feathers that often came and went from the temple…

"So are we gonna beat up these guys now?" the black bird asked its master, sounding impatient.

"Well, guess we'll just have to see Kir," the feline-faced one replied, this time in the more common tongue that most others spoke by.

The Chesirian with chocolate-hued hair could understand the normal tongue just fine, and could even speak some of it. But he still preferred his native language, and only spoke the other if he had to. And since his companions understood his Chesirian just fine, there had been no need in speak in different words...

The catlike fiend had turned to Baiyu once again, and took a few steps towards him. The sapphire-eyed guardian took a fighting stance in response, his eyes locked on the demon.

"_Baya, nu hai kaikai osa kaioi?"_ the feline-faced one asked in a laid-back tone. _"Yee igo isa tas ukoyo keke."_

The guardian with semi-long hair glared back.

"_Baiyu igo uzehvaz Baiyu primio."_

The demon merely sighed and shrugged in reply.

"_Uvo mono."_

The black bird flew off of the feline-faced one's shoulder and landed on his right arm. Almost instantly the avian began to shine a bright green and started to change into a lengthier, almost serpent-like form consisting of mostly unfurling ribcage. As the growth of the bird's spine stopped, the extended ribcage clamped onto the demon's arm, and his hand slipped inside the avian's neck. As the attachment process completed itself, both the bird and the demon were giving off a lime glow.

The catlike fiend pointed the bird's open beak straight at Baiyu. Inside the avian's mouth a ball of energy began to form.

"Give me a Kir Royale!"

Hastily the Chesirian guardian moved out of the way before the attack was fully launched. He had barely managed to roll to the side as the transformed avian let loose a spectacular blast of green energy that crashed into the barred doors of the temple, effectively turning the doors into dust.

The catlike fiend has never been intending to strike him, Baiyu realized. He was aiming for the barriers behind him.

Before he or the others could make a move, the demon rushed inside the now-open sanctuary.

"Hurry Baiyu!" announced the golden lizard. "Before he gets to the grapes!"

The Chesirian guardian gave a determined nod and dashed after his two companions.

_Well, let me know what you think. Did this make sense, especially the last part with Baiyu? Make up a language on the spot can be such a drag, yet fun. It's weird._

_Next time: Jing and Kir face off with the guardians , though one may play a bigger role in a larger tale. Thought perhaps these protectors are only pawns in a bigger scheme, as well as protectors pretending to be pawns…_

_Cya! _


	9. Who is Lost and Who is Not?

_Hey! I'm back! Merry Chrismas Everyone! Consider this chapter to be my present to you all._

_Though it really should've come long before this point. But you can blame Pokemania for this. Boy, Pokemon Mood has just gone nuts this year. And I don't even wanna think of what'll happen when Diamond and Pearl come out and I can start trading with people online...btw is anyone here knowledgable on Red/Blue/Yellow glitches, outside of the usual MissingNo.? I ask this because I'm forming a story based on these glitches in my mind, and I'd gladly accept any help. _

_Anyway, disclaimer time: If I owned Jing, then I'd be rich because he could steal me whatever I wanted. But I don't, so I'm not. I do own, however, the temple, the guardians of this and last chapter, and a person named Falcon who you will shortly be aquainted with._

_Now let the adventures of Jing continue..._

**24th Shot: Break Your Illusion **

The inside of the temple was surprising white, lined with matching statues of a handsome male figure that could only be the god of wine himself, Dionysius. Intricate grapevines of marble were painstakingly engraved into the surface, curving and twisting, thick and thin, but all going in the same universal direction.

"Hurry Baiyu!" echoed the voice of golden lizard-man from outside, making it seem farther away than it actually was. The sets of footsteps, each with very different reverberations but of the same hasty rhythm, steadily became louder and louder.

"Well, no time for sightseeing," Jing stated, his voice muffled by his purple cat mask. He began to jog up the nearby stone steps. "Too bad."

Moments later the guardians with vine-crowns on their brows came dashing in: the chocolate-haired Chesirian with his sword drawn, the reptilian man's teeth and claws bared, and the wine-god's metal look-alike now summoning various guns from underneath the surface of its bronze skin.

"_Meta! Meta!"_ the sapphire-eyed boy yelled, leading the way. _"Adaenai keh shurikiki!"_

"Geez, can't these guys just speak English?" groaned Kir as he and the boy with the cat mask leapt up the rest of the stairs and into the next room to avoid the gunfire from the robotic guardian that buzzed at their feet.

What they entered was not merely another space full of carvings and sculptures, but a garden even more elaborate than the one outside. The walls were meticulously painted to resemble a perfect sky, extending all the way to the top of the ceiling, Pale and circular strokes of gold at the center of the ceiling mimicked an everlasting sun. A river of red wine ran through the middle of the enclosed sanctuary, going under a marble bridge with merry faces etched in the sides. On one face of the bridge were the happy expressions of ordinary people, while on the other face were the more psychotically gleeful expressions of Maddened Ones. Goats covered in vines pranced about playfully, wearing masks of happy humans and wearing people clothes that ill-fit them.

The thieving duo dove into the nearest grove of trees, rapidly weaving, twisting, and slashing their way through the growth. The guardians weren't far behind, as the boy and bird could tell by the whizzing bullets, harsh breathing, and trampling footsteps not far off.

As one shot grazed Kir's tailfeathers, Jing and Kir quickly ascended the branches of the oldest tree, one of the tallest in the indoor forest. Looking down from their improved vantage point, they barely saw the false wine god through the myriad branches. He was aiming his largest gun, a laser cannon that emerged from out of his now-widened mouth, right at them.

Immediately Kir morphed into gun mode and attached himself to Jing's arm, and began to glow just as the Dionysius machine started to power up its own weapon.

"Give me a Kir Royale!"

The robot guardian made no announcement, but a spectacular white laser blast screeched out of the huge cannon nonetheless.

The two energy attacks collided midway, grappling with each other in a vicious attempt to tear the other one apart. The twisting battle only lasted a few seconds, however, before the lime-green beam began to delve right through the white beam of the cannon, splitting it right in half as it went. The energy forced itself down into the barrel of the cannon itself, and then shot through the other side of the robot, finally fizzling out when it struck the ground. As the green beam faded, the Dionysius impersonator promptly exploded.

Shards of steel were flung everywhere, cutting otherwise perfect stone sculptures, embedding themselves into flawless trees, and striking and shattering the fragile masks of the goats, causing them to rapidly descend into a panic.

A stray shard pierced the vine wrapped around the golden lizard-man's head, ripping it off his skull and pinning it to a tree nearby. As the vine rapidly withered, the reptile's charging and yelling abruptly stopped. A confused look appeared on his face. He warily studied his surroundings, taking it all with a newborn amazement.

Suddenly the masked boy and his dark bird busted out of the grove of trees, hotly pursued by Baiyu, whose eyes were burning in delirious rage. The Chesirian guardian slashed at any obstacles in his way with reckless abandon, as Jing made sure to keep a fair distance between him and the crazed sword.

"_Lete! Lete! Ulaket ke minuae!" _yelled the chocolate-haired boy.

The golden lizard-man stared at the chase in bewilderment before his eyes finally lit up in realization.

"Baiyu, STOP! What's come over you?!"

The Chesirian guardian chose to ignore his words, or perhaps he never heard them at all. Instead he continued his stream of sword swipes and stabs aimed at Jing. The orange-coated boy dodged the strikes with relative ease, his feline mask hiding whatever expression he bore.

"Hey Jing, lizard guy over there isn't trying to kill us anymore!" the black avian pointed out before narrowly avoiding being skewered by an upward sword thrust.

The masked boy gave a brief glance at the golden reptile.

"So, that's it," he mused quietly.

"Huh?"

Jing curled his right hand downward, summoning his arm blade.

The blade was immediately utilized, as Jing used it to guard against Baiyu's sword. A defiant _clang _echoed throughout the garden as the weapons attacked each other, followed by the sound of metal grinding against metal. When neither weapon bended the other's will, the opponents abruptly broke apart only to rush towards each other again mere seconds later.

Jing jumped over the crazed Chesirian's blade thrust before lunging in with his own weapon. Baiyu swiftly blocked the blow with his sword, however, and once again slashed at the masked boy. The attack sliced through the black-haired boy's coat just enough to leave a slight cut on his arm.

The two Chesirians danced this way and that for what seemed like timeless minutes, guarding and parrying, slashing and thrusting, evading and striking. The scenery was not spared any brutality as divine statues were chopped to pieces, ancient trees were stabbed and left to bleed their long-concealed sap, and the streams of wine were muddied by rampaging feet.

Then the masked boy nailed Baiyu with the swift kick to the stomach, knocking him down into the ground. As the delirious guardian tried to get up, the Bandit King placed his foot on his chest.

"You know, the god of wine hasn't treated his guardians too kindly," Jing began, coolly staring down at his pinned opponent. "For ones that serve him so loyally, I would think that he would bless you with dreams of endless bliss in the presence of the holy. But instead, he weaves your thoughts into the lurid belief that you are nothing more than wild animals out for blood, disposable attack dogs. What a cruel way to reward one's servants."

The chocolate-haired guardian only gave a snarl and an enraged glare in return.

"I think it's time you moved on to find a new master."

The Bandit King slowly lifted his blade.

"Let me break your illusion."

And with a single strike, he sliced the vine wrapped around the blue-eyed boy's temple clean in two.

**25th Shot: Do I Know You?**

His attack would leave a memento, Jing noticed. Not only had he cut the vine, but he had also cut the skin on the other Chesirian's forehead, leaving a wound. It was far from lethal, of course, but it would be just enough to most likely leave a scar. The boy with steel-hued eyes plucked a spare leaf from one of the many fallen branches laying about and used it to clean the tiny amount of blood that stained the edge of his blade.

As the vine slipped off, withering even as it fell, the madness swirling in his deep blue eyes dissolved. At first those eyes looked up at the sky in a calm daze, seeming unaware of anything, but suddenly they snapped back into focus and became clear.

"…wha?" he murmured blinking rapidly and shaking his head.

"Welcome back to the real world!" Jing greeted, his voice sounding somewhat distant and muffled by the mask. He casually moved his foot aside.

Baiyu abruptly sat up, rubbing his forehead. He felt something hot and wet, and saw crimson on his hand when he brought his arm back down.

"It's just a small cut, so the bleeding should stop soon. Here you go," replied the boy with dust-hued eyes, handing the chocolate-haired Chesirian a leaf from the same branch.

The blue-eyed boy immediately applied it to his forehead. He looked up to the masked boy standing over him almost naively.

"Where am I?" the dark-haired Chesirian questioned, just then beginning to take in his surroundings.

"Well, you're currently in the temple of Dionysius, where you were chasing us around and trying to chop our heads off," Kir stated plainly, flying over the masked boy's shoulder. "Wait a sec, you can speak English?!"

"What?! Why?!" exclaimed the blue-eyed boy, ignoring the dark avian's last comment.

"Apparently those stupid talis-whatevers weren't nearly as effective as they were supposed to be," muttered the lizard-man, walking over to the two Chesirians. "Those stupid vines took over our minds anyway."

"Oh, that's right!"

"Talis-whatevers?" questioned the boy in the blazing coat.

"These," answered Baiyu, tossing Jing a small object that the Bandit King easily caught in midair.

Opening his palm, Jing saw that the item in question was a talisman much like his own, also in a honeycomb shape with a picture of an upside-down circle pyramid topped off by a small triangle. However, when he compared them to his own talisman that hung from the chain around his neck, there were several significant differences. The coloring on this talisman was silver, not gold, didn't have the same glossy sheen that his did, and lacked the unreadable characters that outlined the edges of the talisman he possessed. The masked boy also noted how there were wide cracks and holes that had formed along the sides of the silver talisman. It was a wonder that it still held itself together.

"Ha! Looks like somebody suckered you big time!" sneered Kir, peering over Jing's shoulders with a highly amused look on his face.

"Well obviously," Baiyu grumbled, glaring at the nearby trees like this was all their fault. "Me and my friend here came here to investigate what made the people here go crazy in Bacc when we came across a man near the train station stop. He claimed to have items that would prevent us from losing our minds, and showed us these talismans."

"We paid 500 gold for something that didn't even work," the golden lizard-man sighed, slumping over slightly.

"I don't think they were even talismans at all," growled the taller of the two Chesirians. "There had to be some kind of seed inside it, and about halfway across the desert they must've germinated, because then suddenly vines just burst out of the cracks and…"

"Next thing you know, you're here trying to chop our heads off," Kir finished.

"Exactly…"

"So, what'd that guy look like, anyway?" asked the black albatross out of curiosity.

"Well, he certainly wasn't a native," Baiyu stated. "He was this tall know-it-all-looking type, with brown hair and pale green eyes with glasses. I think he said something about being a doctor of some sort."

Jing and Kir were silent for a moment.

"…You know, I think we might've been suckered too, Jing."

"Well, these talismans seemed to have served us well so far," the black-haired boy replied, examining his talisman for a moment before putting it away. "So, let's just let bygones by bygones, shall we? If we have trouble with them, we'll dispose of them."

The black-haired boy took out his violet feline mask to reveal his cool grey eyes and youthful face once more.

"By the way, you wouldn't happen to remember where the Grapes of Dionysius are kept, would you?"

"The grapes of what?" asked the golden lizard-man, a bewildered look on his face.

Jing turned to the chocolate-haired Chesirian, but all he got was a surprised stare in return.

"Guess not. Oh well, let's-"

"_Imazhou!"_

The Bandit King turned his head around at Baiyu's sudden exclamation.

"_Ku?" _he replied, his head cocked slightly to one side.

"_Yi isa lai!" _Baiyu shouted happily. _"Kanaka lai usaru? Baiyu nu utau lai ulopuo! Kojos aliali_ _zohza humio?"_

"Uh…_lai voose sar ausal," _the boy in the blazing coat answered. _"Jing nu Imazhou. Jing isa Jing."_

For a moment Baiyu seemed slightly puzzled, but then a sly expression crept on his face.

"_Enu osuso biyae, yi ISA lai."_

"Huh?!" asked Kir, hearing nothing but babble between the two Chesirians.

"_Nuuuu…" _the steel-eyed boy repeated, seeming a bit annoyed. "Dae isa Jing. Dae isa Bandit King! Jing ukikan uvaz ke ensarios vahz bae de eskia. Jing nu ulele andomae iede Imazhou."

"What?!"

"Heh, _lai nu ukoki andomae," _the tanned Chesirian replied teasingly. _"Iede de lai isa Imazhou e lai aulele yi."_

"Huh?!"

"_Nu yi nu!" _the obsidian-haired boy growled. _"Dae isa Jing. Jing isa King of Bandits. Jing nu kuku iede Imazhou. Kuhu iede de lai andoli?" _

Baiyu gave him a blank stare.

"_Kuhu?! Yi dae, Baiyu! Nu lai aumeimi?!"_

The Bandit King gave him a cool stare.

"…_Nu."_

"_KUHU?! Yi dae Baiyu, Baiyu! Hai-"_

As the chocolate-haired boy began spewing out rapid and heated Chesirian, which the steel-eyed boy answered with slowly evaporating coolness, the golden lizard-man began to chuckle.

"You understand what they're saying?!" exclaimed Kir, looking at the reptile humanoid dumbfounded.

The lizard-man turned to the albatross right next to him.

"Don't you?"

"NO!"

"Even though your partner is a native Chesirian?" the reptile added, smirking.

"Of course not! Chesirian is too confusing!" the black avian snapped. "They speak it 100 miles per hour, put all their conjugations at the beginning instead of at the end, there's a million different accents… how am I supposed to get all that?! And Jing's not my partner, he's my assistant!"

"You can get it if you try."

"I've tried getting it! I've tried getting it a million times, and I still don't get it!" snapped Kir, folding his wings across his chest. "Seriously though, do you have any idea what they're talking about? I hate it when Jing goes off talking in Chesirian and doesn't bother translating anything for me."

"Well, from what I can tell…" began the lizard-man. "…It seems your partner-"

"Assistant."

"Whatever," the golden reptile replied. "Anyway, your friend apparently looks a lot like an old friend of Baiyu's named Imazhou, so he thinks that your friend is Imazhou. However, your friend says that he isn't, and that he's never met Baiyu before. But Baiyu's being stubborn and keeps saying that he is."

"What, does this Baiyu guy have the I.Q. of a toaster?" Kir grumbled, seeing Jing beginning to look quite irritated. "If Jing says that he ain't this Imazhou guy, then he ain't."

"I suspect Baiyu's still somewhat disoriented from being under mind control earlier," the golden lizard-man replied. "Hold on, I'll go get him."

"_Jing usaya Jing nu ulele andomae iede Baiyu, e Jing nu ulele andomae Imazhou iviva!" _the steel-eyed boy growled at the taller Chesirian.

"_Nonu nu lai aumeimi nis humio?" _questioned Baiyu. _"Inu Cheshiria, inu ke cratera inu ke taroh altata? Yi nu eigbu humio, nonu zah elika tiba de natae, kaikai of yibo tirito, y ke vinos de gakkagakka jusia de nurio, kanaka mamado de lai ego ivav e-"_

"_Adaenae! Jusia adaenae!" _the Bandit King suddenly screeched, causing Baiyu to jump back slightly. _"Jing nu ulele lai, Imazhou, u andomae leba iahvaz en tapart taroh! Jing isa King of Bandits, nu tapart subert kuku! Baya kokukon!" _

The other Chesirian was about to speak, but seemed to change his mind and stayed silent.

"Okay, buddy, you've bugged the guy enough," the golden lizard-manspoke, tugging Baiyu to the palace's exit. "Let's just get outta here and rest up, then we'll decide what we'll do."

As the former guardians disappeared behind the door leading to the outside, Jing and Kir were just beginning to enter to door that would led to the deeper chambers of the temple.

**26th Shot: Bird of Prey**

"So what was that about, anyway?" questioned Kir, as he and Jing rushed down the seemingly endless hall lined by pillars and sculptures. "I mean, the lizard guy told me about it a little, but not really."

"Oh, nothing important," the obsidian-haired boy answered, keeping his gaze set on the path ahead as his steps echoed emptily against the pristine white walls.

"It sure didn't sound like nothing," the black avian remarked.

"Don't worry about it," the Bandit King responded. "It was stupid anyway. I don't know why I got mad in the first place."

"Well, what exactly did he say?" the dark albatross insisted. "I know it was something about him thinking you were some guy named Ima-"

"I told you-" Jing began, a slight growl forming in his tone.

"Well well, what do we have here?"

The thieving duo froze as an unfamiliar voice drifted down from above. Jing and Kir's heads twisted around a few times before they finally found the owner of the echo.

On the top of the tallest statue right in front of them, they spotted a blond boy that was perhaps just slightly older than Jing, if not the same age as him. The pale shine of his brass knuckles contrasted with his deeply tanned skin. He was clad in loose, cobalt-blue clothes, with the sleeves of the shirt ripped off and a long, matching headband tied around his head with twin lengthy loose ends trailing behind him.

And wrapped on top of the headband was a deep green crown of vine.

Sky-blue eyes intently studied in partners in crime, eyes swirling with eagerness, with excitement, with determination. After a few more moments passed, the cobalt-clad boy leapt down not a few feet away from Jing and Kir.

"Whaddaya know? It's a kid and his birdie."

"Hey! The name's Kir, and I'm not just any old bird! I'm an albatross!" the dark avian barked. "And you're nothing but a kid yourself!"

"Yeah, I guess so,' the boy admitted absentmindedly. "Anyway, I suppose you're here to visit the grand god Dionysius, are you?"

"Actually, we're here to-"

"Well, too bad. He's out at the moment," the boy with the sky-blues eyes interrupted, strutting forward. "So just have to deal with his son instead."

"His son, huh?" the boy in the blazing coat asked, a slight smirk creeping on his face.

"Jing, the guy's bonkers!" Kir exclaimed. "He's got one of those vines wrapped around his head. I bet he can't tell the difference between a god and a goat."

"Silence, you fool!" the blond boy shouted overly indignantly. "I was going to let you pay your respects to my father, but with an insult like that you've just won yourselves a trip to go to the underworld!"

The blue-eyed kid took a martial arts pose.

"And I, Falcon, will send you free of charge."

"Oh? Is that so?" questioned Jing, summoning his arm blade. "I didn't know hell had a price tag."

"Enough talk, I'm taking you down!" Falcon yelled, throwing his fist forward.

The black-haired boy swiftly jumped to the side and took a swipe at the fair-haired fighter. Jing's opponent in turn leapt back before rushing forward with a flurry of punches, all evaded by the gray-eyed boy. When the Bandit King slashed downward with his blade, Falcon blocked it with his brass knuckles, throwing a loud _clang_ into the air.

For a brief while the two of them remained in place, pushing against each other's weapons. Then Falcon broke the struggle and rolled aside, aiming a kick at Jing's lower legs. The boy in the blazing coat saw it coming, however, and flipped over the sweeping attack. The fair-haired fighter lunged forward with another punch, which the raven-haired boy just managed to dodge. As Falcon aimed a strong kick at Jing, the gray-eyed boy ducked down and performing a sweeping kick of his own, knocking the boy off his feet.

Bouncing back to his feet, Falcon gave a bit of a growl as he somersaulted away from his opponent. Letting out a yell, he rushed forward and then leapt into the air, sticking out his leg to nail Jing with a flying kick. The boy in the blazing coat braced himself, then jumped aside at the last moment, so that Falcon ended up crashing into the wall instead.

The fair-haired fighter let out a weak moan before he got up and dusted himself off, keeping a wary eye on Jing.

"Heh, not bad," spoke the fair-haired boy, an almost pleasant look on his face. "But I certainly hope this isn't the best you can do. After all, the best fighters can take on multiple opponents."

Suddenly several white-and-green streaks hopped in from behind the other statues, lining themselves neatly by Falcon's sides. Jing took a defensive stance. Once they had stopped moving, it was easy to see that these were not fierce-looking monsters, or even robots, but little furry…

"Rabbits?!" exclaimed Kir.

Yes, these were in fact snow-white fluffy creatures with big feet and long ears. These rabbits, however, also had vines tied around their heads, as well as their rest of their bodies. And, as Jing soon noted, they had an intelligent spark to their eyes that was usually not seen in most wild bunnies.

"…You gotta be joking..." Kir grumbled, giving an annoyed look to the hares sitting obediently next to their master. "You're gonna beat us with a bunch of stupid hairballs? C'mon, I know those vines make you crazy, but this is just plain stupid."

"Look who's talking," Falcon growled back. "Nothing but a _crucru ynix aroco._"

"Huh?" Kir asked dumbly, silent for a few seconds. "Hey, what's that mean?!"

"I'm not telling," the cobalt-clad fighter replied in a singsong voice, rocking back and forth on his heels.

"That's not fair!" the black albatross screeched, flailing his arms around wildly in a fit. "I'm being insulted and I don't even know what the insult is!"

"He called you a crusty old crow," Jing translated boredly.

"What?!" Kir bellowed. "Why you-"

"So you're a Chesirian as well?" questioned Jing, looking at the blond straight across from him. "I'd kinda suspected it when I saw that your skin was so dark."

"Well, yeah," Falcon admitted. "I'm from way back in the far reaches of – Wait, what am I doing? I've got a battle to win!"

"You mean you got a battle to lose, don't ya?" Kir taunted. "Let's do this, Jing!"

Not a moment had passed before Kir shone livid green and metamorphosed into his gun form.

The Bandit King aimed at Falcon, but the fair-haired Chesirian didn't seem intimidated at the least.

"Get 'im," Falcon commanded to his loyal ones.

_Ha ha, you get a cliffhanger XP. All the more reason to come back though, right? BTW, the next chapter might be a bit short, as things are nearly wrapped up here, but I want the next in-between part to start on a whole new chapter. You see, until most in-betweens, its both quite large and important story-wise, or at least hint-wise. Just so you can wonder about it._

_**NEXT CHAPTER**: The battle between Jing and Falcon climaxes, but can Jing even get near the treasure without his world spinning out of control? And if he can, at what cost? Just because something helps you now doesn't mean it can't hurt you later..._

_I hope you guys liked this chapter. Please review, as I only got one reivew last chapter. I know you guys are out there, because Gilded Smile's stats show that over a thousand people have looked at this story, which isn't too bad for a story in an more obscure section. Please let me know what you think._

_Happy Holidays Everyone! _


	10. All You Need is a Talent for Risk

_Why hello again so soon! Thank you for the prompt reviews, and as a reward I give you the newest chapter in less than two days. Hooray for draft-typing fever! XP Also, it's very likely that a least a couple of chapters will also come in fairly quickly sucession, probably more._

_This chapter has a little bit of everything in it, from fighting to puzzle-solving to mysteries yet to be solved. This also wraps up the second quest. And it's pretty long too, or longer than usual anyway. I just hope the puzzle-solving part makes sense._

_Disclaimer: If I owned the King of Bandits, I'd have him steal all of Santa's toys from the elves' workshops. But he's not, so all of Santa's toys are safe. I do own Falcon and "Raze", however. _

_BTW for future reference, "Raze" is pronounced Rah-zay, not like the word "raise"._

_And so the story continues at a surprisingly early time..._

**27th Shot: The Bird of Prey Against a Black-Winged Chimera**

It only took an instant for the rabbits to transform from docile creatures to blazing blurs of white. They zeroed in on the albatross attached to Jing's arm, latching onto him to bite and gnaw.

"GET THESE THINGS OFFA ME!" Kir yelled, flapping his enlarged wings frantically.

Jing, meanwhile, was busy fending off the hares that weren't attacking Kir. Unlike the ones the dark avian was left to deal with, these bunnies fought much like their master did, with punches and kicks. While their punches may have not have had as much force behind them as Falcon's did, the sheer number of them made it hard to counter them all effectively. Even those with blade wounds were still as voracious as ever. The fact that Jing was weighed down on his right side by both Kir's transformed state and the hares fastened to him didn't help much either.

Falcon, meanwhile, stood back and watched the chaos with a proud look on his face.

"Now, what was that about a bunch of stupid hairballs?"

Jing set his cool gray eyes on his opponent and merely smirked. A few moments later Kir detached from the raven-haired boy's arm, and he and the pile of bunnies that had been chewing on him all fell down to the ground, falling on top of the rabbits that had been attacking Jing. The Bandit King fished the black avian out of the sea of confused white fur with his good left arm. Jing's partner was covered with bites and scratches, but he still had the fighting spark in his eyes.

"Oh, we've still got a few tricks yet," The gray-eyed boy replied.

Once again Kir glowed, but the dark bird attacked himself to Jing's back, his wings growing even larger than before and his ribcage clamping onto Jing's ribcage. The excess backbone swished back and forth on its own, as if it was a flesh appendage. As both began to give off a green light, Jing's pupils narrowed to slits as they began to glow especially bright.

_Allright, let's do this Jing!_

The Bandit King flew high up into the air, swatting away any attacking rabbits with his arms and backbone tail. The vine-bound hares stood on their back legs with their front paws curled into fists, their eyes locked onto their aloft opponent.

"Hey! That's not fair!" Falcon whined.

_This coming from a shrimp who uses a bunch of hairballs to attack_

_Yep, _Jing answered back mentally to his partner. Telepathy could be so convenient sometimes. Then he gazed down at his Chesirian opponent.

"What's the matter?" The winged gray-eyed boy questioned. "The son of Dionysius can't withstand a single flying foe? That's seems pretty weak for a godly being. Perhaps you're the result of one of those mortal love affairs?"

"Damn you, chimera!" the cobalt-clad fighter yelled, bouncing on and off the walls of the temple in rapid execution to reach his obsidian-winged enemy.

"So I was right?' the shining Bandit King asked playfully.

Leaping off the walls once more, Falcon rocketed towards Jing with a flying kick. The demonized boy merely lowered himself slightly to avoid the attack, leaving the Chesirian with the vine-crown to strike nothing but empty air. The fair-haired fighter quickly changed position so he could and against the wall safely, and once again launched himself at the Bandit King. Once again his assault was easily evaded and Falcon readjusted himself so he could prepare another attack. This time, instead of merely moving out of the way, the boy with onyx wings instead simply captured him in midair with his bony tail.

As the blond Chesirian realized he'd been caught and began to squirm and bite the tail to no avail, the rabbits below were going nuts, frenzily jumping and hopping to try to reach their trapped master. Some attempted to jump up the walls like their human leader, but couldn't sustain enough long leaps in succession in order to reach him. Others tried as well but ended up knocking themselves out by crashing into the walls in the wrong positions.

Their efforts to get to Falcon grew even more hectic as the boy with slitted irises curled his hand downward to summon his blade.

The fair-haired fighter abruptly stopped struggling when the _sha _of the weapon fully extending, and his eyes greatly widened at the sight of the cold metal.

"H-Hey, wait a sec-" he stammered frantically. "You ain't gonna stab me with that, are you? C'mon, that's taking it way too far. I mean, you shouldn't take this so seriously. It's only-"

At this moment the blade swiped down.

An instant later, the slashed vine fell from the blue-eyed boy's brow, dissolving into brown dust even before it reached the ground. There was not a scratch on the boy, as Jing was pleased to see. How could he have been so sloppy earlier as to cut something that he hadn't intended to cut? He was Jing; he had no weakness. He was Jing; he had no fear.

"Huh?" Falcon blurted out, blinking a little. "Hey! What happened anyway? Where's this? And what are you anyway?! Some kind of demon?! Did you bring me here?! You better not be planning to eat me, or you'll be sorry!"

"Easy there buddy," Jing assured. "I'm not a demon, and I'm not gonna eat you. You can call me Jing. Now let's get you down…"

"Uh...okay…" the blonde replied, relaxing slightly in the grip of his tail. He looked down at the white rabbits, returned his gaze to the winged Bandit King, and then suddenly jerked his sight back to the hares patiently waiting below."

"AAAH! WATCH OUT!" he yelled, his arms clinging to the spine tail. "My rabbit buddies are still all possessed and stuff! They'll eat us alive!"

"Oh yeah," Jing responded casually. "Let me fix that."

He flew over to top of the stairs at the end of the room and landed, and then let Kir transform from his flight form to his gun mode. The sudden withdrawal of the spinal tail abruptly plopped Falcon down onto the hard floor, something he wasn't too pleased about as he got up and rubbed his back. It took him a moment to realize what the thieving duo was doing.

"Hey, wait - !"

"Give me a Kir Royale!"

The energy blasts exploded down below, blowing up the floor and scaring up some white smoke and dust. When the cloud of debris settled, knocked out hares lay all around, the vines on them more or less burnt off.

"There you go," the obsidian-haired boy stated calmly.

"You didn't have to go that far!" Falcon yelled, getting right up the steel-eyed boy's face.

"Yeah, we just saved your butt from eternal stupidity!" Kir snapped, flying right between the two Chesirians. "If this is all the thanks we get, we've should've left you thinking you were the son of that Dionysius guy."

"…Yeah, you're right. I'm sorry," the cobalt-clad fighter apologized, looking away. "…Wait, I seriously thought I was some kid of a drunk guy?"

"Yep," Jing answered. "More importantly, though, I'm guessing that this god's grapes are lying somewhere just beyond this point."

"Uh, yeah," the fair-haired Chesirian answered distractedly. "Wait! That stuff will make you goes nuts and – hey, where'd you get one of Neirnyx's talismans?"

"Hmm?" Jing responded, looking down at the golden hexagon hanging from the string around his neck. "This? I picked it up on the train. But who's this Neirnyx?"

"Huh? Oh! Uh, just some person I know. Forget about it," Falcon babbled hastily. "But anyway, those vines seriously screw with your head. Even getting near them fries your brain. I dunno how you'd get any without it taking you out first."

"Well, can we get close enough to take a look at it?" questioned the Bandit King.

"Yeah, I think so," the fair-haired fighter answered. "It's just down this hallway. Follow me."

Jing let the blond Chesirian lead him the way down the hallway.

"By the way, you seem to know an awful lot about this plant,' the black-haired boy pointed out as they followed Falcon. "You didn't try to steal it earlier, by any chance?"

"Uh…yeah I did, actually," admitted the blue-eyed boy, turning around and giving a sheepish grin. "That stuff nailed me on the spot though."

"I see," replied the Bandit King. "It sure seems like me and Kir have been running into a lot of thieves lately."

" Really? Weird," Falcon answered casually. "Well, we're here. Come take a look."

**Data Set 28th : The Perfect Anti**

As the next room came into view, the thieving duo couldn't help but pause in awe.

The room was like a giant field, every inch filled with nothing but the legendary vine itself, the grapevine of Dionysius. The entire ground below the vines was swamped with white wine. The colorless plateau, some good ten feet above the field, was the only place that could be considered sterile of the vine's effects. To the left side of the plateau was a set of spiraling stairs that eventually led to the vines below. To the sides of the entrance were two torches with brilliant blue flames, even though their light wasn't needed.

"If we get any closer, we can kiss goodbye to our minds," Falcon stated, eyeing the field. "Believe me, I know."

The gray-eyed boy studied the field for several moments.

"Hey Falcon."

"Yeah?"

Jing dug his hand into his right-hand pocket, and pulled out a small glass bottle of a pale green liquid.

"Do you know what this is?"

The blue-eyed Chesirian looked at it closely, then shook his head.

"It's prickly pear cactus extract," the Bandit King explained. "I picked it up at the store at Thebes. People use it whenever they wanted to be just a little less lost in the prison of the grapevine that is Bacc. It seems to have quite a sobering effect if you take it, and also seems to help fight intoxication so you get less drunk."

"Oh yeah, I've heard of that," Falcon replied. "But there's no way that it's strong enough to protect you from close contact with the grapevines. It might last five seconds, but that's it."

"That's true," the gray-eyed boy answered.

"Then why did you bring it up?" asked the fair-haired Chesirian.

Ignoring him, Jing popped off the top and drank all the extract in one gulp. After wiping the mouth on his sleeve, Jing then took off the necklace with the talisman on it.

"And then we have this," the Bandit King continued, undoing the string that bound the golden hexagon to the necklace. "Perhaps it's a true talisman, perhaps it's not. But it had seems to serve me well on this quest, so I assume that it holds some kind of sobering power."

"But even if it is a real talisman, that still won't protect you from the grape's effects," Falcon pointed out.

"Also true," answered the boy in the blazing coat. "While this may ward off some of the grapevine's effects, at this rate on concentration it would be of little use."

"That's just what I said," stated the blond Chesirian.

"Not on its own, on the outside anyway," Jing added, now completely freeing the talisman from the string's grasp.

"Huh? Whacha mean Jing?" asked Kir, flying over.

Jing set the talisman on his thumb, like it was a coin that he was about to flip into the air.

"I mean, Kir," began the gray-eyed boy, "…That it order in unlock all the talisman's power…"

The thumb flicked the talisman into the air.

"…you have to…"

Jing opened his mouth wide…

…caught the talisman into his mouth…

…and swallowed.

Kir's eyes bugged out as he let out a surprised squawk.

"…You have to eat it."

"WHAT?! JING, ARE YOU INSANE?!" the black albatross screeched, flying right into the raven-haired boy's face. "DON'T YOU REMEMBER WHAT THOSE TWO BACK THERE SAID?! THEY SAID THERE WAS SOME KIND OF SEED INSIDE THERE THAT TOOK OVER YOUR MIND! AND YOU JUST ATE IT!!"

"Ah, but that's the thing," the Bandit King answered calmly. "They didn't eat it. Now that it's being digested in my stomach, the protective power of the talisman is being spread through my blood stream, and any power being sealed inside it is released too. And if there is a seed in there that would like to take me over, it doesn't stand much of a chance against stomach acid, especially if it's a seed as tender as a grape seed. Plus, I already have the cactus extract in me, which should help boost the effects of the talisman."

"Well, now that you've eaten the talisman and got this cactus juice in you, you think you can get these grapes of Dionysius?" Falcon questioned, leaning against the wall.

"Well, not yet," Jing stated. "My body needs time to process what I've put in it. The cactus extract will peak in about five hours, so I guess that'd be the best time."

"You guess?!" barked Kir.

"Anyway, so for now we'll just relax until five hours is up," the Bandit King answered, turning back into the hallway. "Well, I'm gonna go take a nap. You two can do whatever."

"W-Wait! Jing! Are you sure?!" questioned the black avian.

"Yep."

Kir sighed and worriedly followed the raven-haired boy.

IIIIIIIIIII

Jing was fast asleep on the tallest statue back in the now war-torn area before the final hall. Falcon wasn't far off, playing with his bandaged bunnies like a little kid. Kir was perched on the statue right next to where the boy in the blazing coat dozed. Four hours had passed.

_I sure hope Jing knows what he's doing… _Kir thought to himself, looking over to the peaceful-looking Bandit King dozing away.

A flash of memory, back to when they were riding the train and a delirious Jing was threatening to hurt the doctor, feverish rage in his eyes.

A flash of memory, back to another time when Jing was feeling particularly ill, maddeningly slashing at a tree before finally sinking to the ground and falling asleep against it.

A flash of memory, back to a time when Jing was locked in a small gray room, lying on an iron bed, wearing a generic bright orange outfit. His eyes were distant as he muttered over and over:

_Dae uso Jing_

_Ista nu motimo_

_Dae uso Jing_

_Ikas nu motimo_

Kir sure hoped Jing knew what he was doing, because he didn't think he could handle it if the plan went wrong. At all.

IIIIIIIIII

Five hours passed.

Jing stood near the edge of the plateau, gazing down upon the seemingly endless field of grapevine. Kir hovered over his shoulder somewhat uneasily, while Falcon leaned against the wall right next to the left torch, one of his rabbits perched on his head.

"You still gonna do this, Jing?' asked the black albatross.

The gray-eyed boy turned his head upwards towards the black bird.

"Well, there's not much point in waiting, is there?"

The Bandit King leapt onto one of the guardrails and slid all the way down the spiraling staircase, eventually disappearing into the myriad growth. Other than a few faint rustles, no other sound was to be heard for minutes.

Kir lingered as near to the edge as he dared. Falcon too carefully approached the boundary of the plateau, though he seemed much calmer about it.

Then the two of them noticed an orange blur shoot out of the thick of the field, rushing erratically up the steps and finally landing on front of the blond and the bird. The boy in the blazing coat said nothing and kept his head low.

"Jing?" asked Kir.

The boy did not move.

"Jing?" Kir repeated, creeping closer.

The boy still said nothing.

The black avian glided right in front of the boy's face.

"Hey…Jing?"

"_Ukak lai…" _the boy whispered, almost hissed.

"What?" Kir questioned, not liking the tone in his voice, nor the sound of the Chesirian used.

Falcon also seemed to appear uneasy at his words.

"_Usaya…Dae uvav ta ukak lai Kir!" _the boy shouted, grabbing one of Kir's legs with his left hand.

"WAAAAAH!" the black avian screamed. "No Jing! It's me! Me! Your buddy! You wouldn't-"

His panicked words were cut off by low laughter and chuckling.

"Eh?"

Kir looked down to see that Jing looked up at him with an amused smile on his face, and was in fact perfectly sane.

Falcon relaxed.

"Jing! You're…" the black albatross began, before angrily furrowing his brow. "How dare you do that to me, Jing! Making me think you went nuts on me! I thought I was gonna die!"

The Bandit King continued to chuckle.

"That wasn't funny Jing!"

"Oh, I dunno…" the black-haired thief answered, still smiling.

"I said that wasn't funny!"

"So I assume you got the grapes?" questioned the fair-haired fighter, walking over to him.

"Yep," Jing replied, bringing out the golden apple container that once contained the power of youth. "They're right in here."

"Can we see them?" asked Kir.

"Only if you swallow your talisman and some cactus extract and wait for five hours," the Bandit King answered. "The only reason it's not affecting you now is because this golden apple was made to contain highly magical substances and doesn't let any of the excess power out."

Kir crossed his arms and let out an _Hmph._

"Well, there's nothing left for us to do here," stated the Bandit King, turning around to leave. "Except…"

He grabbed one of the torches with blue flames.

"I think these plants are far too dangerous to exist in such numbers, don't you Kir?"

Jing moved to the edge of the plateau.

"H-Hey wait a sec!" exclaimed Falcon, running over to Jing. "If you do that, the whole place will burn down!"

"And who will miss it?"

The obsidian-haired boy dropped the torch and watched it fall into the field, when it almost instantly began to incinerate the plants.

"Let's go."

The three of them, hurried rushed out of the room.

**29th Shot: Off in the Shadows of Distilled Insanity**

Jing rode triumphantly through the desert of Bacc on the rather beat-up, but still running, motorbike of Postino's. While he traveled he noticed many of the so-called Maddened Ones were now wandering aimlessly and harmlessly in confusion, having no idea where they were or how they got there. After the Bandit King has passed flocks and flocks of such people, he briefly passed through the town of Thebes.

Already signs of rebirth were taking place. People along the streets had regained their soberness, and were now beginning to realize what a sorry state the city was in. Not many had actually gotten around to starting the repairs yet, but there were a few, even if they were rather unskilled at doing so. Among those helping with the reconstruction was Tia, who was currently repainting one of the smaller stores along with a couple others.

"Tia! Oh, how I missed you!" exclaimed Kir, rushing over to her. The Bandit King slowed down and parked the motorbike to follow his avian partner.

The black avian's sudden exclamation startled the green-haired girl, causing her to accidentally dump some paint on herself. Then she turned around, revealing a couple of white smudges on her face.

"Oh, Jing, Kir! You're allright!" she chirped happily. "Well, I kinda figured that you were, after everyone here began to act normal again. But I was still worried…"

"Ah, it wasn't so bad," Jing answered, lifting up his goggles. "I see you're helping out."

"Well, yes," Tia stated, turning around to continue painting the store. "Everything here really needs work, and I don't have anything else to do, so I might as well."

"But you could come with us!" Kir offered. "And we can have loads of fun on adventures and stuff."

Tia turned back to the black albatross.

"Really? Would that be allright?"

"Why yes, of course, of cour-"

"But don't they need your help here?"

The jade-eyed girl set her gaze on the boy with dust-hued eyes.

"Huh?"

"You want a place to belong, right? And you want to make a difference in the world," the black-haired boy stated. "Well, what better way to help others and find your own place than to help rebuild this grand city so it can reach its former glory?"

"Jing! What are you-"

"Me and Kir will most likely come back Bacc someday," the boy in the blazing coat continued, ignoring the dark bird. "I hope when we come back that this place will be even more magnificent than ever before. And I'm sure you will be able to play a big part in this, right?"

"Oh! Y-Yes of course!"

The boy with dust-hued eyes smiled.

"May you be one of its most honored citizens."

Kir stood aghast.

"B-But Jing-"

"C'mon Kir, let's go," Jing responded, grasping the albatross's arm with his left hand and dragging him back to the motorcycle with him.

"Well, goodbye Jing! Goodbye Kir! Have a safe journey!"

"Don't worry my love, I'll be back for you!" announced Kir, still struggling somewhat against Jing's grip as the two of them got on the bike. "I promise!"

The boy with dust-hued eyes, meanwhile, gave her a simple salute with his free hand before finally starting up the engine and driving off once more.

IIIIIIIIIII

"Jing! What was that for?! I almost got a girlfriend that time!" whined Kir, sitting at the edge of the seat and forlornly looking back to the swiftly disappearing city behind them.

"Sorry Kir, but we can't afford to have extra companions on our journey," Jing replied. "Not in the long run anyway."

"Aw, c'mon Jing, we have girls fawning over us all the time, but you always leave them behind without even saying goodbye!" complained the dark avian, turning around to face the upcoming horizon. "Well, they really mostly fawn over me, but some of them like you too Jing. Like that Stir girl, for instance…"

"Kir, we can't just go pick up any girl just because she likes us," the black-haired boy pointed out, keeping his gaze focused on the road. "It's too dangerous. Besides, most of those girls wouldn't stand a chance in a fight. We won't be able to protect her at all time."

"Ah, but that Stir knows how to fight real well," Kir countered. "_And _she's royalty, a real find. You don't see girls like her every day."

"It still wouldn't be worth it," the dust-eyed boy replied, just slightly quieter than usual. "Even if she can defend herself, that still doesn't guarantee…"

"Now don't be shy," Kir chuckled, smirking and nudging Jing's back with his elbow. "I mean, think about it, you could even boost your notoriety. Think of the headlines: **Bandit King Steals the Beautiful Princess of Zaza!** Or maybe you were already planning to do that and just didn't want to tell me? After all, you do seem to be constantly trying to get back there…"

"That's only because Zaza's people come from many different parts of the country, and therefore are a good source for rumors," replied the boy in the blazing coat. "Stir has nothing to do with it."

"Oh, I'm sure…" the black avian grinned mischievously. "Aw, c'mon, she'd love it, going from place to place, beating up bad guys, seeing the sights…"

"Just like someone else we knew."

"Yes, just like someone else we - " Kir began before abruptly stopping short and lowering his head. "Oh…yeah…that…nevermind then."

The dust-eyed boy sighed.

"C'mon, we're almost at Pan's and the train station."

IIIIIIIIIIII

"Oh boy…"

Falcon stared and the charred and ashen remains of the temple of Dionysius, a couple of his rabbits frolicking at his feet.

"Well, guess it's all over now…" he told himself, searching his pockets for something. "Guess I better call 'em…"

The cobalt-clad Chesirian pulled out a small cellphone with light blue and gold coloring, and flipped it open, causing all the buttons inside to glow briefly.

"About time I got one of these things…" he muttered to himself as he punched in numbers and then held the cellphone up to his ear. He didn't have to wait long.

"…Hey Raze! Uh…we kinda got a problem…the temple's…kinda gone now…No, it wasn't my fault!...last one threw a torch down into the grapevines and burned the whole thing down…so now what'll…Huh? It's done? Well then it isn't so bad then…though we'll still have to rebuild it at some point…where are you?...Wow, you're there already? You must be raring to go…oh, well that kinda figures too…"

IIIIIIIIIII

Leaning against the one of the many wooden pillars that held up the city above, admiring the feathery, fiery sunset streaking behind a ruby-red sliver of sun, was a lengthy reed of a young man wavy orange-gold hair down to his chin. He wore a deep ginger hat and a plain white shirt, as well as a deep green vest and baggy orange pants. His right eye was a cerulean blue, while his right eye, which also had a thin scar going straight down across it, was a stark orange. His right hand held a gray-and-blue cellphone to his ear.

"…Yeah the real fun's gonna begin in a jiffy," the lanky young man spoke cheerfully, keeping his gaze focused on the wildfire sky. "Lots of 'em were here already. Lots of our guys are here too, for that matter. Dal's here, I know that. He says it's gonna be a spectacular heist! So you better get your dogs down here or you'll miss the show! Besides, that girl you're stuck on is here, right? That one you saw in the last tournament they had here, that made all the guys there look all wet?...Hehehe, oh, you carry a torch for her and you know it…You do know that denying it just makes it more obvious, don't you? Hahahahahaha! Well, hope your trip's swell. Later!"

The young man with the orange-gold hair lowered his cellphone, snapped the cover shut, and stuffed it into his pocket.

"Oh yeah, this gonna be plenty of fun, I just know it. I can hardly wait."

And with that, the tall and lean young man swiftly leapt from beam to wooden beam, well on his way to the city waiting above.

_And there we go! The second quest is all wrapped up, and there's a little set-up for the third quest as well. Though the next two chapters will be the in-between for the quests...more on that in a sec... _

_As a quick note, when Jing was saying _ "_Ukak lai…Usaya...Dae uvav ta ukak lai Kir!", he was saying "Eat you...I said...I'm going to eat you Kir!" XP Luckily for Kir he wasn't being very serious about it, heheh. Not that Kir knew what he was saying, but Falcon did. So I guess Jing was messing with Falcon too. As for the chant in the flashback, it will be translated next time._

_**NEXT CHAPTER: **Jing and Kir get sidetracked into exploring an unusual cave whose only resident is a rather forgetful old woman...or is she forgetful at all? Jing may be the Bandit King, but can he hang onto himself as visions and voices that make little sense begin to seep into his mind and senses? _

_Happy Holidays once again, for the best of luck! _


	11. Hissing Whispers and Haunting Echoes

_Hello everyone, and welcome to the next in-between! Now I shall warn you now: this is part one of a two-part mindscrew. Which means please properly secure yourselves for the ride and try to hang onto your brains XP. If you don't understand parts of this, that's okay, but feel free to try to figure them out. And you might want to check some of the tinier details as well... _

_Disclaimer: I do not own King of Bandit Jing, otherwise I'd have to put up with Kir all the time. And as cute as he is, I imagine it'd be very hard to write with a black albatross trying to hit on you all the time. _

_Now off to the adventure._

**30th Shot: Whisper of the Lake**

"So this is that brilliant shortcut to Zaza that you've heard of?" questioned Kir, covered with burrs and pine needles as he and Jing made their way through the woods.

"Yep," the Bandit King replied nonchalantly, cutting away some opposing brush. "Once we get through here, we'll practically be right on top of it."

Originally the thieving duo planned to take the train from Bacc and see what place looked like the best place to look for the Necklace of Harmonia, but then the train broke down only an hour into the trip. Then, as Jing and Kir stayed in a shabby hotel, they heard that something big was going on at Zaza, and it apparently involved a treasure other than the Vintage Smile he had stolen from there long ago. Since Zaza wasn't that far off from where they currently were, save for this forest and a brief stretch of desert, they decided to take their chances and check out what was going on in the city of masks.

As they stumbled into a rare clearing in the tangled vegetation, Jing noticed a small cave embedded into a sheer cliff-side. But the more the Bandit King studied the mouth of the cave, the more it seemed that there was something unusual about it, something uniquely alluring, as if some mystical treasure lurked just beyond its darkness…

"Hey Kir, want to do a little spelunking?" the black-haired boy asked his avian partner.

"As long as that cave doesn't have any more thorns or mosquitoes or burrs in it," grumbled Kir, picking out the excess debris from his feathers. "I mean, what if some cute dame caught me looking like this?"

"Well, let's go then," responded the gray-eyed thief, strolling into the blackness without a moment's hesitation.

IIIIIIIIII

Upon entering the first thing they realized was that this little cave wasn't so little. It was at least twenty feet high, with gray-blue stone walls that were covered in an odd glassy sheen.

The second thing they realized was that they weren't alone.

Waiting for them was a small, wrinkled old lady, sitting cross-legged on the ground with her eyes closed. Long, flowing, silver hair draped well past the middle of her back, and she was wrapped in a purple and silver robe with traces of swirling gold designs.

Opening her eyes, which were a sharp emerald green, she studied the boy and bird for a bit.

"Who are you, boy?"

"My name is Jing," the gray-eyed boy answered without another thought. "And this is Kir."

The silver-haired one rose to her feet.

"My, what a cute little pet you have there," she replied sweetly.

"Hey, I'm no pet lady. I'm the boss around here!" Kir protested.

"Oh, he's so darling…" the old lady answered, ignoring his words.

She began to walk toward the deeper part of the cave.

"Come."

"Might as well," stated Jing, shrugging and following her lead.

"Do we have to?" whined Kir. "Old hags creep me out…"

But he followed nonetheless.

IIIIIII

They had been traveling sightless in the darkness of the cave. The old woman had brought no light with her, so her whereabouts soon became unknown.

"Stupid old lady," Kir muttered. "She forgot about us, didn't she?"

Jing shrugged as he noticed a new light source up ahead slowly come into being. As he walked toward that light, he began to hear the sound of rushing water. For some reason his heart sped up slightly.

The light was being emitted from a new section of the cave, as the black-haired boy and the dark albatross soon realized. But that light came neither from a natural or artificial source, but from ghastly power residing in everything there. From the brown flood that thrashed about the cave, to the ruins beaten by the liquid, to the shattered clocks thrown about; everything possessed an otherworldly glow. A fine white mist curled across the water in thick wisps.

"Looks like this place got flooded out recently," pointed out Kir, flying over the wreckage and examining it for stability. "But how'd all this water get in here? Oh well, c'mon Jing, let' hurry up and get across."

But his partner didn't move. Instead, he stared at the waters with what almost seemed like fear in his eyes.

"C'mon Jing! It's just a little water," the black avian called to him, slightly annoyed. They had dived deep into the ocean before, so it wasn't like Jing was hydrophobic or couldn't swim. So why should he worry about this?

"These building tops are pretty stable, so you should be able to hop across them to get to the other side," Kir added, landing on one to prove his point. "Or should I just go into flight fusion and carry you across because you're scared?"

The gray-eyed boy shot him an annoyed glare, and then leapt onto the nearest rooftop.

The so-called stable platform groaned as it began to shift slightly, threatening to dump him into the mud-choked flood that was nipping at his heels. Hastily he leapt onto another rooftop, only to have that rooftop fall apart beneath his feet. Quickly abandoning the deteriorating building top, he hopped across a series of broken clocks floating aimlessly in the water, their glass faces smashed in by his footsteps.

He finally arrived on a giant rock that was midnight black in hue. The white mist seemed to close in on him from all sides, obscuring everything beyond them from view. The muddy water was just a voracious, though, and a large wave crashed into and nearly pushed him off the huge stone.

As he lay belly-down across the rock, he couldn't help but notice the reflections in the liquid. But…these reflections weren't mimicking his face, or the rock right below him. Instead, there were images of people fleeing, screaming, carrying their children with them as far as possible from….what? Was this a flood too? Images of cottages being swept away soon rippled onto the surface of the brown muck as well, confirming his suspicions. Houses being swept away, trees being swept away, people being swept away…

Suddenly he squeezed his eyes tight and shook his head, and the images floating on the surface were dispelled. Sitting up and rubbing his temple, his dust-colored eyes searched for his avian partner.

"Kir?" he called out in the whiteness encasing him and the rock, but with no answer, not even an echo of his own voice. "Kir?"

After a second reply of silence, Jing closed his eyes.

_I'm making too big of a deal out of this. Just relax…You are Jing. Fear does not exist. You are Jing. Weakness does not exist.._

The boy in the blazing coat began to chant this to himself in his native tongue.

"_Dae uso Jing_

_Ista nu motimo_

_Dae uso Jing_

_Ikas nu motimo"_

The sound of rushing water filled his ears

"_Dae uso Jing_

_Ista nu motimo_

_Dae uso Jing_

_Ikas nu motimo"_

The sound grew louder.

"_Dae uso Jing_

_Ista nu… motimo_

_Dae uso Jing_

_Ikas nu… motimo"_

It seemed to envelope all his senses.

"_D-Dae uso Jing…_

_Ista… nu motimo…_

_Dae uso… Jing…_

_Ikas… nu motimo…"_

The images from before flashed through his mind

"_D-Dae uso Jing…_

_Ista…"_

And the images cycled through his head, faster and faster, clearer and clearer.

"_Ista…Ista…Ista…"_

"Hey Jing!"

The black-haired boy suddenly snapped out his spiraling trance as the dark avian flew over to his side.

"I've been looking everywhere for you! Couldn't see a thing with all this fog around," Kir explained. "I was beginning to think the flood ate you up."

"Kir…" Jing began.

"Yeah?"

"…Just lend me your wings."

"Well, you are kinda stranded out here, huh?" responded the black albatross, looking around. Within a few moments he transformed into his flight form and attached himself to Jing's back.

Being in either gun mode or flight mode allowed Kir's heartbeat to synchronize with Jing's, which more or less gave the black bird some idea of what Jing was feeling at the moment. And at that particular moment, Kir could tell that Jing's feelings were quite shaky and stressed indeed by his own somewhat hurried heartbeat.

_Geez, was it that bad for him getting stranded on the rock like that?_

_I can hear you, you know._

_Well, then was it?_

…

_Hey! Don't you just clam up on me like that! Hey!_

The dark avian had to chance to mentally probe further, however, as the two of them soon diffused on the other side of the cave. Quietly the Bandit King walked towards the exit of the cave chamber.

"Hey Jing! Jing! Did I miss something? Jing!" Kir pestered, following along hurriedly after him.

**31st Shot: Whisper of the Reflection**

With some of the white mist still clinging to them, the thieving duo began to move forward when they noticed the old woman from before only a few feet away.

"Who are you, boy?"

"Huh?" Jing asked. "I…I'm Jing, of course."

"And I'm Kir," the black bird repeated. "Try to remember this time, you senile old bat!"

"My, my," the emerald-eyed one chuckled, giving Kir a few rough pats. "This little muffin has quite a mouth on him, doesn't he?"

"M-Muffin?! Now listen - "

But the old woman ignored the albatross, instead turning around and starting to walk into another part of the cave.

"Come," she spoke, before slipping around a corner.

Jing once again began to follow their lead with Kir in tow, if more to escape the previous area than anything else. There was no way he was going back in that direction if he didn't have to.

But once they were around the corner, the lady was nowhere to be seen.

"…She's doing this on purpose, isn't she?" growled Kir, flying slightly ahead of the Bandit King. "Well fine then! We don't need her help anyway! We didn't last time. And we won't this time either!"

The gray-eyed boy stayed silent.

This part of the cave was as dry as a desert, not even a drop of condensation to be seen. The walls, however, gave off a faint blue glow, and the surfaces of the cave were glossy enough to serve as spotless mirrors.

"You know, I think we've should've stuck with the forest," grumbled the dark avian as he eyed his myriad reflections in the tunnel. "At least then we knew where we were going…"

The more Jing studied his surroundings, the more uneasy he became. Something wasn't right here. He couldn't place what it was, but something…something about this place was off, distorted…

He stroked the glass-like walls with his hand, currently showing nothing but its clear blue color.

"…Can't see how anyone could live in this place without getting lost all the time," Kir continued to rant, a double of him residing in the highly polished rock and ranting with him. "And how'd that old lady get past that first part, anyway? She a gymnast or something?"

"Who knows?" replied the black-haired boy, shrugging absent-mindedly as he closely examined the matching ground. What was it? What was it? It seemed like it should've been obvious…

"Stupid old woman. I bet she's laughing at us now, isn't she?" the black albatross asked his reflection, who only asked the question back. "Yeah, I bet she does this to every stranger that comes in. Probably doesn't anything better to do, the senile old bat…"

The boy with the blazing coat watched as Kir took advantage of the reflective surface to groom the feathers on top of his head by running over them with his wing.

Reflection…

_Wait_

Jing spun around to look onto the glossy surface of the cave wall next to him. All he saw was the polished stone. He placed one hand on the wall to confirm his suspicion.

"Kir," he questioned. "Where's my reflection?"

The dark bird floated over to investigate. Stopping right next to the gray-eyed boy, only his image showed up on the cave wall.

"I dunno. Maybe it got lost."

"Kir…" Jing growled.

"What? Can't you take a joke?" the black avian replied in a huffed manner. "Besides, it's just a reflection. I'm sure you'll get it back sooner or later."

The gray-eyed boy turned back to where his likeness was supposed to be and glared at the blank surface. Somehow he doubted that it was nearly as simple as that.

_Why don't I have a reflection?_

**_Why would you?_ **

His blood froze. Where did _that_ come from?

"Jing, you coming or what?"

"Yeah…" the Bandit King answered, continuing on his way while watching the wall as if he expected it to attack him.

_It's just a reflection…_

_**A reflection of what though?**_

That other voice again.

_Of…myself…_

"Hurry up!" barked Kir, now far ahead of the boy in the blazing coat. "Geez, an old geezer could move faster than you right now."

Jing briefly snapped out of his thoughts and realized how slow he was going. He hastened up the pace.

_I can't see to keep my thoughts straights in this place…I keep zoning out and thinking things that don't make sense…_

He was beginning to agree with the dark albatross that they should've never entered this cave.

_Mamado!_

Jing shook his head.

How long had it been, since they was separated from his mother? Five years, wasn't it? The mists swirling in his mind made it hard to think. And then there was a raid, and she and he were split apart during the chaos…

…Wait, no, that wasn't it.

What made him think it had been a raid? He couldn't quite remember what happened that day, but he was sure it wasn't a raid. But wasn't that what he thought it had been all this time?

And if it wasn't a raid though, what was it? What was it? What was it...?

"Hey Jing! The exit's just up ahead! C'mon!"

"_Ku?" _the Bandit King muttered in a daze. "Oh, right…"

**32nd Shot: The Whisper of the Lost**

Upon reaching the mouth of the exit, Jing and Kir once again found the old woman awaiting them patiently.

"Hey! Where have you been?!" the dark avian snapped, flying right up into the silver-haired one's face.

"Why, I've been waiting for you two of course, Mr. Birdie," she replied cheerfully, tapping his wide beak.

"Well, you could try sticking around for at least a minute or two!" the black albatross barked, rubbing his beak. "And don't call me Mr. Birdie!"

Choosing not to hear the dark bird, she maneuvered around him and set his emerald eyes back on Jing.

"Who are you, boy?"

"_Ku_? I-I'm…"

"He's Jing, you scatterbrained old hag!" Kir yelled. "Can't you remember anything?!"

"…yeah," the gray-eyed boy finished in a somewhat quiet voice.

The old woman walked toward what looked like the darkest part of the cave.

"Come," her voice echoed from the blackness.

"Why should we follow her any-" the black avian began when the Bandit King began to amble on after her. "Hey Jing, where're you going?!"

"Following her," he stated dully.

"But why?"

"…Just because," came the hushed reply, as the Bandit King melted into the obscuring shadows.

The dark albatross grumbled as he flew after his partner into the darkness.

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

It was as black as an eclipse at first.

"The old lady forgot about us again, didn't she?" Kir griped. "Figures. And I'm night-blind too…"

"…Yep."

"Just how big is this place anyway?" the dark albatross asked, groping through the absolute black.

"…Who knows…"

"Don't you find this all rather strange?" questioned the black bird . "I mean, the old lady tells us to come, disappears, and then we have to wander through all this weird stuff on our own. You know, I bet she's setting this up for us."

"…I guess…"

Kir stopped.

"What's with you Jing? Even I'm starting to see something fishy here, and all you have to say is '_I guess'_? This isn't like you at all."

Before the Bandit King could reply, the inside of the cave suddenly lit up with a brilliant light and forced the two of them to shield their eyes. When their sight readjusted, they saw that the cave walls here were a flawless white with a bit of a glow to them.

"Now what's going on?" muttered the black avian.

The gray-eyed boy remained quiet.

Just then they noticed an animal approaching them from the other end of the tunnel, a small cat with purple and white stripes. It was wearing a purple mask, also shaped like a cat face, but with spiral eyes and an all-too-wide smile.

"Hey, look! That cat has a mask just like yours!" Kir exclaimed.

"Yeah…"

The cat slowly came closer to tem. A few muffled meows escaped from behind the mask.

"Hello there…" greeted the black-haired boy, kneeling down. "You lost too?"

The purple-and-white-striped animal paused and slowly lifted its head too look up at Jing.

Then the mouth of the mask itself began to open, letting out a warped, prolonged meow.

Suddenly a miniature waterfall of liquid poured from the widening mouth, the fluid containing almost every bright color imaginable. It spilled all over the ground, with some splashing near the gray-eyed boy's feet.

The Bandit King leapt back in alarm.

"W-What is that thing?!" Kir stammered, also quickly distancing himself from the creature. "I-It's a monster or something!"

Slowly the mouth was closed, and the creature lowered its head for a bit, looking down at the bright substance that was pooled at its feet. As it raised its head again, the mouth once more and a confused _mrow_ echoed from it. More of the rainbow-hued liquid poured out.

Suddenly the cat pounced straight for Jing, claws fully extended and screeching.

The black-haired boy hastily sidestepped the assault. As it flew by, he summoned his blade and slashed the monster's side. The creature landed roughly on the ground, its wound bleeding the same substance as before.

And yet it got up again, with seemingly little effort. It sluggishly turned around, meowing loudly.

"Kir!"

"I gotcha!"

The dark avian morphed into gun form and attacked to Jing's arm.

The gray-eyed boy aimed at the mutated monster.

"Give me a Kir Royale!"

A huge green blast shot out of Kir's mouth, hit the creature dead on, and exploded.

The creature was slammed against the cave wall, its body torn by the attack. The liquid was splattered everywhere. The mutant landed on the cave floor, where it lay motionless.

Jing and Kir breathed a sigh of relief.

Until the body began to get up. Again.

"Is this thing immortal or something?!" the dark bird yelled.

The boy in the blazing coat just stared at the creature.

Now it was rising up into the air, the vivid essence oozing from the supposedly fatal wounds. The mask opened its mouth and let out an extended, distorted meow.

Some of the rainbow-hued substance that was lying in large pools on the ground suddenly lifted itself up in a tendril-like form, and shot towards Jing and Kir.

"Jing! Look out!"

"Give me a Kir Royale!"

The energy blast vaporized the approaching liquid, changing it into fine black mist that rose toward the ceiling of the cave.

The creature seemed undaunted by the show of power. More of the vivid fluid came to life and targeted the Bandit King and his albatross.

"Give me a Kir Royale!"

More of the highly colored substance was transformed into dark fog.

The body of the monster had all but deteriorated at this point, with its purple-and-white-striped fur hanging limply off its body like a worn rug while the colorful essence dripped down from the bottom of its belly. It hovered just above the ground.

It rose up a few feet into the air, and willed some of the vivid ooze still in its body to lash out at its opponents like whips. Jing and Kir hastily swiftly dodged the attack. Where the whips of ooze had struck, the ground became infected with the bright-hued substance and caused the colorful essence to start rapidly reproduce itself there. Soon several splotches of myriad colors began to spread over the cave walls at an alarming rate.

"Kir, how many more Kir Royales do you think you can dish out?" Jing questioned.

"One more, maybe, that's it," the black albatross croaked, throat searing from the backlash of all the energy blasts he'd generated.

"Better make it count, then," the Bandit King stated, pointing Kir at the mutant feline.

"Give me a Kir Royale!"

The green blast shot out, but a huge wall of the rainbow fluid quickly rose up and took the attack instead. The whole wall was vaporized, but Kir Royale had been neutralized in the process.

Jing let out a grunt.

"No good…"

_A cliffhanger, I know. But I could've chosen a much nastier cliffie if I wanted to XP. So, whacha think? Interesting? Confusing? Just plain annoying? Feel free to tell me._

_**NEXT CHAPTER: The battles continues to rage as the situation goes from bad to worse. Is this one foe Jing can't defeat? Or perhaps the most powerful enemy is yet to come, ready to strike with a very different tactic? That is, if it's an enemy at all.**_

_Cya!_


	12. A Flood of Blinding Color and Distortion

_Happy New Year! Well almost...it's 10:30 here XP_

_And here's the second part of the in-between...though I suspect a lot of you may not have known the first part had been posted. It seems neither alert emails or PMs are working at the moment, as I've confirmed with a friend. Oh well._

_Disclaimer: No don't own King of Bandit Jing. I don't even own my own toaster yet XP._

**33rd Shot: Whisper of the Myriad**

"Jing! You think you've got enough energy to go into flight mode?" Kir questioned hurriedly.

"Of course," the Bandit King replied, looking down on his avian partner and smirking.

The dark albatross separated from his arm and attached himself to Jing's back instead. As the two of them began to glow, the black-haired boy's pupils shrunk to slits. With a single mighty flap they narrowly escaped the grasp of the charging fluid keen to swallow them up.

By now the colorful essence was climbing up the walls and onto the ceiling, occasionally dripping down in large drops. Drawing his blade, the thief in the blazing coat evaded the globules and splashes and rushed straight for the masked creature. As he whizzed by he slashed at the false face.

The monster had pulled back, but now fast enough to prevent a deep cut from being carved into its mask. The creature hung there limply for a few before the mask abruptly contorted its toothy grin into an angry snarl. It threw back its head and let out a terrifying screech.

_Heh, didn't seem to care for that too much, Jing._

_No, it doesn't seem so._

They swerved back around and sped toward the mutant once again, but this time it simply twisted its torn body out of the way to evade the attack. Tendrils of the vivid substance erupted from its back and lashed out at Jing and Kir. A couple of the liquid whips struck the end of the Bandit King's coat. Almost immediately the liquid began to rise up the jacket's surface and began it drown it in color.

_Jing!!_

_Quick, we have to separate! _The gray-eyed boy ordered to Kir's mind, as the winged thief flew up to the highest part of the cave. With Kir's ribcages pinning the coat in place, there was no way he could get rid of the coat as they were.

After a flash of green light, the duo was apart once more. Hastily the Bandit King tore off his coat, now almost completely consumed by the essence, and threw it down below. The colorful liquid bathing the cave floor ate it up greedily.

"Ready Kir?"

"I'm –Arwk!"

Out of nowhere the snarling feline monster rammed into Kir, the sheer force of the blow sending him streaking down into the seas of hues below. He did not resurface.

"Kir!!"

Before anything else could be done, the cat-like creature slammed into him and caused him to crash onto one of the few uncovered areas on the cave floor.

Its psychedelic smile returning, the creature calmly floated to where Jing had landed.

"Mrooooow…"

The creature sprayed out more of the vivid essence straight at the Bandit King. Jing quickly leapt high into the air as the remaining untainted ground was swallowed up. Blade drawn, he shot down and cut into the mask.

Now there were two marks on the mask, crisscrossing each other at the tips. The false face once again twisted itself up into a snarl and let out an enraged scream.

Gravity giving him no choice but to land, Jing soon found the highly colored fluid splashing all over his shoes and lower pants legs.

Swiftly the black-haired boy pounced at the creature with the false face once again, but this time it floated just out of the reach of his weapon. The vivid substance was steadily creeping up Jing's clothes and body, its touch like liquidized artic wind. His legs felt heavy, like the blood inside them was becoming crimson ice. He landed on the ground, more of the essence splattering onto his legs and threatening to speed up the process.

Before the gray-eyed boy could strike again, a tendril of the vibrant liquid rose up and lashed out, crashing down onto his bare left shoulder. The colorful essence quickly began to spread from the area of the strike, its hold all the icier directly on the skin. He began to shiver without consent as his left arm became stiff and cold, eventually losing all feeling and becoming completely limp at his side. The substance had had been splashed on him had reached nearly up to his waist.

He managed to spring at the cat-like monster once more, but it dodged him with ease. Then, floating behind him, it rushed forward and rammed into him, causing him to fall into the fluid-drowned wall and get the vivid substance all over his back. The Bandit King attempted to get back up, but legs, now perfectly numb from the chill, snapped under him like twigs.

While he struggled with the vivid essence infecting him, the feline with the false face hovered right in front of the gray-eyed boy. With effort he swiped at the monster, nearly falling over further. The masked creature simply moved its head slightly to avoid the attack.

Backing away, the mutant let out another prolonged meow. The fluid that streamed out its mouth rushed forward and circled around Jing like a huge liquid ribbon. Steadily it sped up and its form melted, until it was a spinning typhoon of color fusing with the liquid lying on the ground to make itself bigger and bigger.

"W…What?"…the Bandit King murmured to himself. "This…this can't be right…"

The typhoon of hues collapsed on top of him.

IIIIII

It may have been colorful on the surface, but beneath it was black, all black. And it was so much deeper than it appeared, it seemed. He just kept sinking and sinking, with nothing but an abyss to greet him below, and nothing, not even a sign of the surface, looking after him above. His entire body seemed like it was entrenched in black winter, progressively becoming more and more numb. Even on the inside he was losing feeling.

It wasn't just the physical numbness. His emotions were shutting down as well. His anxiety and defiance were bit by bit broken down into apathy and a total calm. And with his feelings freezing, his mind was frosting over as well.

_K…Kir…Where is Kir? ... Where is this?…How did I…though I guess it doesn't really…matter…Kir will come back…eventually…he always does…was he mad or something…must've been…otherwise why would be have left?...What am I doing here…again…There must be some...reason…_

Some translucent ice crystals were forming on his hair and clothes. Jing, his senses drifting further and further away, remained oblivious to the cold shards growing on him.

_So…where am I going…Somewhere with treasure…must be it…I'm always looking for treasure…to steal…I'm the Bandit King after all…the Bandit King who can steal all of…the stars…out of…the sky…_

The ends of his clothes and hair were now encased in a thin layer of ice, sluggishly creeping upwards. His steel eyes slowly closed.

_Wandering…wandering…always…wandering…Mo…Mom...I need to find…mom…so everything will be…normal again…the others, they'll be…so glad we're back…and we can ride…the carousel…Kir would…like it there…and then…I can show her…all the treasures…we've gotten…and then…it would…all…be…_

He was almost entirely iced over.

_**Pathetic**_

Jing's dust-hued eyes reopened.

_Huh…?_

It was a deep, feminine voice, one he was not familiar with. It echoed from somewhere above.

"Who…?" he whispered to the blackness.

_**Does it really matter?**_

"I dunno…"

_**Listen to yourself. I'd think you'd have more sense than this, Bandit Boy. **_

Jing glared slightly at the supposed ceiling of the void.

"Where are you…who are you…what is this place?" he asked, an edge to his still somewhat quiet voice.

A few ice crystals began to shed of in fragments.

_**That's more like it, Bandit Boy. Now think, dear child, think…since when is it a good thing to be slowly sinking down into the middle of nowhere, slowly freezing to death?**_

"…Never," Jing realized, his eyes suddenly becoming clearer as he began to kick with his feet, or tried to. While a much of the ice had broken off now, there was still a fair amount that bound him. He began to realize just how cold he felt.

_**See how dangerous indifference can be, boy? Pain's programmed into you for a reason. Can't tell if there's anything wrong if you can't feel.**_

He struggled more violently with the frozen bonds.

_**Take that little kitty cat, for instance. You hurt it and hurt it, but it's so far gone that it couldn't feel a thing. So if you don't do something, you'll end up just like it. Now you don't want that, now do you?**_

He managed to curl his hand just enough to summon his blade from the sheath strapped on his wrist.

_**Do you?**_

"No!" the boy with dust-colored eyes exclaimed, using the blade to hack away at the remaining ice on his legs and shoes. Almost all of the remaining ice was removed.

_**Well, now that you aren't in Lalaland anymore, do you remember what you were supposed to be doing?**_

The black-haired boy shot a glare up to the surface.

"Finishing what I've started."

_**That's it, Bandit Boy.**_

His legs and arms now free, the boy with dust-hued eyes began to furiously swim upwards through the black. At first he made little progress, as his muscles were still somewhat numb and stiff from the chill. But as he continued to ascend, he felt his body regained some feeling and his mind grow clearer. Steadily swimming faster and faster, he soon began to see the color of the surface. With a final rush of strength, he shot up towards the light.

**34th Shot: Whisper of the …**

The vivid essence rose up and broke as Jing pierced the surface, not a few feet away from the creature with the false face.

It turned and let out a loud, confused screech as it laid its gaze on the black-haired boy.

"Why hello again, my friend."

The creature lashed out with more tendrils of vibrant liquid, but they simply bounced off Jing with no effect. The fluid at his feet tried to climb up his legs, but it slipped off him like sludge slips on soap.

Now the feline monster gave off a squealing, frightening cry, and started to slowly back away.

In less than an instant Jing dashed to the creature, summoned his blade, and sunk his weapon straight through the mask.

The colorful essence that was still contained in the creature's body writhed and whipped about for a few seconds, but then became utterly lifeless and plopped onto the ground. Cracks gradually spread from where Jing's blade impaled the mask. Only a few seconds later, the false face rapidly crumbled away.

The boy with the dust-hued eyes couldn't tell exactly what his blade had pierced. The mask had been concealing a lump of flesh, drenched in the colorful liquid. It might've been a head, it might've been a heart; there was no way to tell. Either way, it was quite dead now. With a troubled look on his face, he pushed the flesh off the blade and watched it fall limply to the ground.

The vivid essence was quickly evaporating away, its colors turning a very pale pastel hue as it did so. Soon Jing noticed an avian covered in some of the remaining substance totter towards him.

"Kir!"

"Eh?" the black albatross replied, wiping some of the fluid out of his eyes. "Jing!"

He eagerly glided over to his partner, the last of the essence evaporating off of him even as he flew.

"I thought I was gonna die!!"

"Wasn't too sure I'd make it myself."

"So, where's the cat thing?" asked Kir, whipping his head around in search for it.

The black-haired boy pointed over the white-and-purple fur and the small lump of flesh lying nearby.

"Eeash," Kir responded, sporting a disgusted look. "That's all it was? Some chunk of meat?"

"Seems so," Jing answered, spotting his orange coat lying on the ground more or less unharmed and walking over to fetch it.

"That thing really was a monster," Kir murmured to himself, taking a closer look at the remains, as Jing picked up his coat and put it on.

Neither of them had taken a single step more when they spotted the old woman standing not so far away.

"Allright, what's the big idea?!" Kir barked, flying right up to her wrinkled face. "We've nearly got ourselves killed following you around! If that thing was your pet or something, we ain't sorry for killing it!"

The emerald-eyed lady simply swatted away the enraged avian away and focused her gaze on Jing.

"Who are you, boy?" she asked in that crackly voice of hers.

"He's told you a million times already!" screeched the black albatross right in her ear.

Once again she swatted him away.

"It's like he said," Kir's human partner answered. "I am-"

Jing stopped.

"I am…I am…I am…"

"Who are you, boy?" the silver-haired lady repeated, her cold gaze locked on his. "Is that such a hard question to answer?"

The boy's dust-hued eyes retreated to the ground.

"I am…I am…I am…"

"Eh?!" Kir exclaimed, shooting over to his partner. "What's the matter with you?! You're Jing, remember?"

"Jing…?" the black-haired boy answered dully. "No…that's not right…"

"What?! Yes it is!" the black avian shouted.

"No, it's not…" the boy in the blazing coat replied, his dust-hued eyes looking cloudy.

"Yes it is!!" Kir repeated. "I've been traveling with you for over four years now! I should know!"

"…you have?"

Kir thought he was going to have a heart attack.

"Yes…" the dark albatross began slowly. "My name is Kir. K-I-R. Kir! Remember?"

"…Kir?"

This time Kir was sure he was going to have a heart attack.

The black avian spun around to the old lady.

"You! What have you done to Jing?!"

The woman stayed as she was.

"I haven't done anything to that child that he hasn't done to himself."

"And just what do you mean by that, witch?!" the black avian spat, darting over to her.

A small smile formed on her lips.

"Just that."

"Look you, I dunno what you did to Jing, but you better fix him right now!" Kir hissed, voice becoming much lower.

"He is fixed. Mostly."

"What?! He wasn't broke in the first place! And I do not consider _that_ fixed!" yelled the dark albatross, pointing back to the dazed boy.

"Trust me. It'll save us all a lot of trouble," the old lady answered calmly.

Barely holding back an outright scream, Kir shot back over to the boy with dust-hued eyes.

"Look Jing, you gotta snap out of it," Kir stated. "That old witch is brainwashing you or something."

"..My name isn't Jing…"

"Yes it is dammit!" the black avian barked. "Look, who are you gonna believe, some old crone smiling at you or someone who, oh, I dunno, is actually worried that you can't remember your own name?!"

"…But…I know I'm not Jing…that's someone else…"

"That's right, boy. You are not Jing," spoke the old woman. "That poor little bird is trying to confuse you. You mustn't listen to him. Only you can look within yourself for the truth."

"Shaddup, you old hag!"

"Im…Ima…Ima…" the boy with dust-hued eyes whispered to himself.

The dark bird let out a frustrated yell and grabbed the black-haired boy's coat collar.

"Now listen up! Your name is Jing! You are the King of Bandits! You can steal the very stars out of the sky whenever you want! There's nothing you can't steal! It doesn't matter if it's the most beautiful pearl mask in the world or desire itself, you can take it! You gotta believe me!"

The boy remained silent, studying him with dull dust-hued eyes.

Kir let go of his collar.

"C'mon Jing…You ain't gonna let this old hag have her way, are you?"

The black-haired boy stayed unmoved.

Kir was just letting out a exhausted sigh when he remembered one last thing.

"Well…if you're not Jing…" he began, quietly flying behind the boy and grasping a string that hung around the boy's neck. As the dark albatross slowly lifted the necklace upwards, a large crystal with a female face was uncovered. It gave off a faint light.

"Guess you won't be needing this."

It took a few moments for the boy with dust-hued eyes to realize that the necklace was being taken. He swiftly gripped the necklace-piece with his hand before Kir could carry it up any further. His eyes still had a faraway look to them, but they were transfixed on the crystal.

A smirk crept onto Kir's face.

"What do you want with that old thing? It ain't yours."

The boy only clutched it tighter.

"Don't concern yourself with the necklace," the old woman spoke. "It will only lead you astray."

The black-haired boy kept the crystal in his grasp, his gaze glued to the necklace-piece.

"Do you know who that is?" the dark albatross asked.

"…Mom?"

"Yeah, that's right," Kir answered, floating down next to the boy in the blazing coat. "We're looking for her, remember?"

"It is a lie," the emerald-eyed woman interjected. "The bird will cloud your sight to the past. Don't listen."

"That old hag doesn't know anything," the black avian growled. "Anyway, we're looking for your mom. That's why we've been traveling so much. That's how you became such a good thief. You had to steal stuff to survive out there."

The black-haired boy set his distant gaze on Kir for a few moments before his eyes reverted back to the crystal.

"You're a smart boy. Don't let this bird boss you around," the silver-haired woman replied. "Only you know who you really are. Not me, not the bird, though he may think he does, just you. Now look closer: is that what you're really searching for?"

The dust-hued eyes of the boy turned to the old woman for a few moments before returning to the crystal. The eyes narrowed.

"Is that what you're really searching for?"

The boy continued to study the crystal. Something was stirring in his eyes.

"C'mon Jing!"

"Remember boy?" the old lady asked. "Do you remember who you are?"

The black-haired boy closed his eyes.

"Yes."

"So then…" began the emerald-eyed lady. "Who are you boy?"

Kir leaned closer to his partner.

The boy reopened his steel-hued eyes and smiled.

"I'm Jing the Bandit King of course."

The face of the dark albatross brightened instantly.

The old lady, on the other hand, had a displeased and somewhat annoyed look on her face.

"I knew you'd pull through!" Kir exclaimed.

"Fine. Be that way," the silver-haired woman growled. "But it will only bring you more pain."

"You know, after your attempt to make me forgot who I am, I honestly don't care what you think," Jing answered with a slight edge. "Kir! You ready?"

"Oh, I'm more than ready!" replied the albatross, starting to glow green.

The black avian transformed himself and attached to Jing's arm. Both began to glow with a shining light.

Jing pointed the bird at the old woman.

"What? You would go blow up some old woman just because she made you angry? Shame on you," taunted the emerald-eyed one, her voice sounding younger. "Guess then it's a good thing for me that I'm not some old hag then."

Abruptly the old woman was suddenly consumed by a huge ball of deep blue flames, lighting up the entire cave in a dazzling cerulean light. When the flames lost their form and dissolved away, there stood not a person, but a brilliantly red bird with emerald eyes, slim neck and body, and deep purple head and tail feathers.

The Bandit King's eyes narrowed

"You're that bird from before," he stated coolly "And that was your voice I earlier, wasn't it?"

"Huh? Whaddaya talking abut Jing?"

"That's right, Bandit Boy," the ruby-hued bird cooed. "And I'm not just any bird. I'm a phoenix."

"I don't care what you think you are. You're gonna pay for what you put us through," growled Kir. "I'm ready anytime now Jing."

The steel-eyed boy nodded, and re-aimed Kir at the phoenix.

"Give me a Kir Royale!"

The scarlet bird vanished into flames, and the attack meant for her instead blew up the end wall of the cave. Bright sunshine shone through the large hole.

_**I must admire your loyalty to your friend, dragonbreath **_

Jing spun around, but saw no phoenix.

"Who are you calling dragonbreath?!" barked the black albatross at the cave's walls.

_**But your loyalty is misplaced. Or, to put it in words that you'd understand… **_

They waited for the finish, but the voice became silent. Looking all around, the thieving duo began to exit the cave.

_**YOU'LL BE SORRY!**_

The Bandit King jumped around and got ready to unleash a Kir Royale, but all that was left to fire at were the echoes of the emerald-eyed bird's last words repeating themselves over and over again. Letting out a tired sigh, he lowered his arm and allowed Kir to diffuse.

"…Let's go Kir."

_And that wraps up this in-between. I think the the last bit with Kir and the "old woman" turned out especially well. _

**NEXT CHAPTER: **_The hunt for the Necklace of Harmonia begins...but it seems that Jing's not the only one after it. Old faces reappear, as well as new ones, but perhaps there's more to this treasure hunt than you would think..._

_Hope next year serves you well!_


	13. A Different Kind of Tournament Awaits

_Greetings!_

_I hope the ffnet email system's working again. For one, I just sent a PM. Anyway...welcome to the first chapter in the third quest. This particular section has a good deal of action in it, more so than usual. A lot of new characters are going to show up, both from the Jing series and from my own imagination. In general, a very busy section, and overall a lot better planned than the first two XP._

_Oh yes, this takes place in Zaza, a place from the series. To give a quick summary to those who don't know it without spoiling too much...Zaza's queen once held Mascarreras (fight tournaments) instead of the usual Masquerade because of her anger over both her husband's death through war and her son Lemon's death through the greed of relatives. Her daughter, Stir, however, was growing sick of the fighting, and participated in the tournament, along with Jing. With the help of the Bandit King, they were eventually able to drive out the greedy relatives and restore the Masquerade. _

_Disclaimer...which is important, as to clarify who I do and don't own. I DON'T own King of Bandit Jing, Stir, or Zaza. I DO own blue-eyed redhead boy, a talking female snake, a golden-robed man mentioned eariler in the story, and a fiery carrothead. Oh, and there's a mystery blond girl as well. I DON'T own her. (It'll probably be pretty obvious who she is) _

_And so the third quest begins..._

**35th Shot: Say Hello to the Gathering**

"What IS this?!" Kir screeched.

Foreigners usually came to Zaza because of the Masquerade Ball, wearing their masks even as they browsed the shops and ate at the restaurants. They were a gossipy lot, often whispering about the queen, the princess, the Bandit King. They especially liked to chatter of the time when the Masquerade was Mascarrera, a ballet of brutal fighting. Oh yes, they loved to talk about that very much, mostly because of the Bandit King's and princess's involvement in the last one.

But the more Jing and Kir poked around the city limits after arriving there, the more they noticed that most of the foreigners weren't planning to dance here. The black-haired boy should've known; after all, he shared their profession.

Yes, the city of Zaza was swarming with hundreds, maybe thousands, of thieves, hiding in plain sight. Some were short, some were tall. Some were lithe, some were stocky. Some looked more innocent than a lamb, while others appeared fiercer than the most rabid wolf. But they were thieves all the same.

But it wasn't just the fact that they were thieves that bothered Jing. After all, packs of robbers could be found anywhere, if you looked hard enough in the right places. No, these weren't just pickpockets, Jing learned as he quietly listened to the words of his fellow stealers; these were Bandit Kings, or so they claimed.

Many had their own look, dressed up as they saw fit, and traveled solo. But others seemed to have listened to the rumors of the Bandit King's description, and melded their own appearances to rough fit that image. There were quite a few orange coats in the crowd, though of the wrong shades, and some wild hairstyles, though not flyaway in the right way, and several companion animals, though they weren't necessarily albatrosses. But all of them claimed one thing; that they were the one and only Bandit King.

"What's with all the wannabes?" Kir snarled as Jing strolled down the street. "Since when do we have so many copycats?"

"Oh, they've been around," the gray-eyed boy replied.

Just then the gray-eyed boy heard the sound of a motorcycle engine roaring.

Jing paused and turned around. Sure enough, a certain bike-riding postman was making his way toward him and Kir. The motorbike still had quite a few dents from the last time the black-haired boy has "borrowed" it. The boy in the blazing coat noted that he didn't seem to be carrying his usual mail with him.

"Yo, Postino," Jing called. Kir had just noticed the leather-clad mailman coming over.

"Hey Jing," Postino replied, stopping his mechanical hog. "Seems everyone's dressing up as you for the ball. I guess you happen to be the latest fashion."

"So we've noticed," Jing replied, throwing a few glances around.

"Been picking up on your habits too," Postino added, gesturing to the empty area at the back of his bike. "First thing I know, someone's run off with my mail. Guess if they have to dress like you, they have to act like you too."

"I guess so," the black-haired boy answered.

"Well, I've got to hurry up and find those packages. I can never afford to deliver anything late," the motorbike-rider stated, starting up his bike getting ready to move on. "Oh, by the way, an old friend of ours is here too. You should go say hello to her. She's been looking for you."

"Hmm?" responded Jing, looking somewhat puzzled.

But before he could ask for more, Postino had already ridden his mechanical hog far into the crowd.

"A girl's here looking for us?" asked Kir. "Could it be that there's a girl who's so in love with me that she couldn't stand to be apart from me? I wonder if it's Izaara? Or Rose? Or Kirsche? Or…"

While the black albatross rambled on, Jing crossed his arms and looked down at the ground in thought.

_But Postino said it was an old friend of ours , which means it's someone he knows as well…Anyway, the real question is why there are so many Bandit Kings doing in one place. There must be something very interesting here indeed to draw so many…_

The Bandit King, that is, the _real _Bandit King, decided to approach the nearest imposter to find out.

The impersonator he happened to pick out was a redhead about his age, with a windblown look to his hair. He had on an orange jacket surprisingly close to Jing's, though it was shorter and didn't have the same sheen to it that Jing's coat did. Underneath he wore a white shirt will faded jeans, with holes starting to form at the knees of the pants. Perched upon his shoulders was a serpent colored gold, green, and red. He had on an apparently busted crown that had been snapped in half, held in place by a sturdy cloth that had went through empty jewel sockets and was tied around the boy's head.

The redhead boy's blue eyes took on a rooster-like glare as soon as he saw Jing approach.

"Hey there," the redhead called out casually as the gray-eyed boy drew closer. "Looks like everyone thinks they're the Bandit King nowadays."

"Seems so," the raven-haired boy answered calmly, studying a small gang of Bandit Kings traveling by.

"So what brings you here anyway?' asked the serpent keeper.

"I've come to see what all the buzz was about," responded Jing. "So what brings you here?"

"Well, I dunno why all these other bozos are here, but I'm here to fetch an item called the Necklace of Harmonia," replied the blue-eyed boy.

The black-haired boy smirked.

"What a coincidence. So am I."

The redhead shot him a surprised look.

"What?! How do you know about the Necklace of Harmonia?!" questioned the apparently female serpent resting on the blue-eyed boy's shoulders, her voice like steam escaping out of a volcano.

"Oh, just heard a few things around," replied Jing. "Perhaps everyone here is looking for it?"

"Well, I wouldn't know. I just got here…" stated the redhead, though he now sounded a little suspicious. "But I do know one thing…"

The blue-eyed boy lifted his right arm up slightly, letting the female snake coil around his arm.

"Dearest Eve."

"I gotcha Adam."

The serpent began to give off a brilliant red glow as she began to wrap around his arm much more tightly. As she did so, her body became much more angular. She laid her head on the top of his hand, and then jerked her mouth open to reveal a pair of long fangs. The glowing skin around her neck spread out like a fan, closing around the boy's wrist like a bracelet.

The crimson radiance faded, unveiling the weapon form of the serpent called Eve. She has taken on a mechanical form, her metallic body now shining in the sun. Instead of being smooth and round, her sinewy form was divided up into rectangular segments with sharp edges. Hr eyes were now dark red triangles with a glassy sheen to them. Inside her fanged mouth was a small metal barrel.

The redhead named Adam pointed his transformed snake directly at Jing and Kir.

"…If were both after the same thing, then we're enemies," the blue-eyed boy stated, starting to glow red. "And I've got enough enemies already."

The gray-eyed boy kept a cool, steady gaze on Adam as his own avian attached himself to his right arm. Jing pointed the transformed bird at the redhead as both he and Kir began to shine with a green light.

Excited gasps and shouts swept through the crowded streets, as people either ran from shelter or hurriedly gathered around the two shining bandits to witness the upcoming fight.

Jing was the first to attack.

"Give me a Kir Royale!"

Adam leapt out of the way of the green blast, letting them blow up a shabby wine stand instead. While still at the height of his jump, the redhead pointed his serpent down toward where Jing was standing.

"Eve Revolution!"

A series of long, thin lasers swept the ground, leaving slim yet deep gashes in the ground and streets which abruptly caused other explosions to go off underground soon after. Jing swiftly jumped out of their way. The people who had flocked in to see to fight now hastily and noisily retreated to a safer distance.

Among the people who were closest to the fight scene was a tall and lanky young man with orange-blond hair wearing a pumpkin-colored floppy hat. A long scar ran straight down over his left side of his face. His observant eyes were mismatched, with the right eye being blue while the left eye was orange-hued. He wore a casual green vest with a white T-shirt and loose orange pants. The young man bore an amused expression on his face as he watched the boy's spat, though he had to quickly duck once to avoid getting his head chopped off by one of the red lasers.

Once Adam was able to land onto on of the building's roofs, he sent down more red beams of power down at his foe.

Now Jing rolled out of the way of some more laser attacks, keeping his steel eyes locked on his opponent. He bounced off the walls of the buildings, steadily going higher and higher, until he claimed a rooftop for himself.

"Give me a Kir Royale!"

The green energy attack promptly blew up the roof the redhead was standing on, forcing him to quickly relocate to more stable ground.

As Adam swiftly navigated a path through the falling rubble, he drew a white-silver knife about half a foot long that had rubies studding the golden hilt. He leapt from rooftop to rooftop in pursuit of the black-haired boy.

Jing, seeing the gleam of the blade as the blue-eyed boy slipped it out of his coat, diffused from Kir and curled his right palm to summon his own metal weapon.

As Adam lunged toward him with his knife, the gray-eyed boy took a defensive stance.

The blades clanged and clashed, sending sparks fleeing from the scene as they grinded against one another grudgingly. The battle traveled across the canopy of the city, sporadically interrupting the thefts and squabbles of other thieves. One blade would strike thin air, while a counter attack would be vanquished by cold steel. Occasionally they would briefly break apart, only to lunge at each other at full speed. Kir did his best to keep up with the migrating battle.

However, there was one edge that Adam possessed over Jing at the moment. His partner Eve, by clamping over his wrist instead of slipping over his hand, left him with a free hand to wield his knife. The raven-haired boy, however, couldn't use his arm blade and Kir's gun mode at the same time, because both needed the same hand.

It was something the redhead was well aware of.

After parrying one of Jing's strikes, he pointed the serpent at the area just below the gray-eyed boy's feet.

"Eve Revelation!"

The hungry laser dug into the roof tiles just beneath Jing's feet. The tiles exploded without delay after a few seconds' contact, scaring up flocks of grit and dust around the black-haired boy. Just to make sure he had hit his target, Adam did a few more sweeps with the laser into the large dust cloud, hearing more than seeing more blasts going off.

"Heh," the redhead chuckled. "That sure showed him."

The silence lingered only for a few moments, however, before a bright green light shone inside the fog of debris.

"Give me a Kir Royale!"

A giant beam of power shot out of the dust mass, the filth in the air parting way as it emerged. It hit Adam straight on, knocking him high into the air. The he went down, down, down, head first and unconscious, and crashed into the trash in the alley below. As Jing and his attached albatross looked down into the alley, they saw the boy shift slightly and groan.

"I knew you would need me eventually, Jing," the dark avian stated, diffusing from Jing's arm. "Well, we sure took care of that moron."

A series of claps went off behind them.

Twirling around the summoning his blade, Jing soon saw it was none other than the golden-robed man he was gathering treasure for, Pharos himself.

**36th Shot: The Unsaid Details of the Request **

"Imagine finding you here," stated Jing, smirking slightly and withdrawing his weapon.

"I see you're doing quite well," Pharos replied. "You took care of him quite easily."

"Hey, we got the other two treasures!" Kir called out. "How much you want you 'em?"

"I won't take them until you bring me the Necklace of Harmonia," the golden-robed man responded, "That was the deal."

"Hmph…"

"So tell me," the gray-eyed boy questioned, ignoring the black avian's sulkiness. "What brings you here? I doubt it's the treasure."

"Whaddaya mean?' Kir asked the boy in the blazing coat. "Why else would he be here?"

"Ever since I starting hunting down your precious collectibles, something's been off," began the obsidian-haired bandit. "In Phrenetikos we faced off with a boy who seemed far too familiar with the factory for someone who just arrived there after us. And even then, he didn't seem that interested in beating me. Rather, it seemed like he wanted to see if we could keep up."

"You mean that kid was toying with us?!" the dark albatross exclaimed indignantly.

"Toying with us, or testing us," Jing continued. "Then I fell ill, and the doctor on the train happens to give me a shot that not only magically cures me, but knocks me out long enough to end up at the last stop, Bacc, which just happens to be the next place we need to go. Then, at the temple of Dionysus, I face off against a boy who has a vine bound around his head, and yet wasn't under the vine's influence, though he pretended to be."

"Wait, that guy _wasn't_ crazy?" asked Kir.

"No, and neither were his rabbits," the boy with steel-hued eyes confirmed. "When I encountered the Maddened Ones, and even the guardians, they had a beast-like ferocity to them, not caring if they or there fellow allies got hurt. You could see the madness in their eyes. But I didn't see it with his eyes, and he chatted and complained like a rational person would. And when I threatened him with the blade, both he and his rabbits panicked, once again a logical reaction."

"Yeah…yeah, you're right!" Kir agreed. "But...that means this whole thing's been a set-up!"

"Exactly," responded the obsidian-haired thief, keeping his gaze locked onto the golden-robed man. "And I bet if I talked to all the other Bandit Kings that are here now, they would all have the golden apples and either the Grapes or Grapevines of Dionysus, which they would've obtained from the same places, in the same way, under the same circumstances."

The golden-robed man kept the wide smile on his face, but his eyes swirled with what was perhaps excitement.

"I see you are one of the more intelligent ones."

"So then, Pharos, what are you really after?" interrogated the bandit with steel-colored eyes, still smirking.

"Oh, I still seek those three treasures, don't get me wrong," the violet-eyed man began. "However, in order to guarantee the most success, why just hire one person when you can increase your odds by hiring several?" The challenges merely root out the weaker ones unworthy of obtaining the valuables. So now, here in Zaza, we have only the best, the commendable. Not only are my chances of acquiring the Necklace of Harmonia greatly increased, I've set up an entertaining spectacle for myself to enjoy."

"But doesn't all this competition and rivalry lower your chances of getting the Necklace of Harmonia?" asked the obsidian-haired thief.

"Oh, but this is merely another test to dispose of the undeserving," Pharos responded. "I'm sure that, with my sharp perceptions, that there is at least one that I've chosen that is capable of capturing the necklace. And it is that one, the perfect one, that I will honor and reward."

"So that's why you won't take the first two treasures by themselves?" questioned Kir.

"Precisely," the golden-robed man answered. "All those already there already possess the first two treasures. Only the one holds all the treasures will be worthy of the reward."

With a snap of his fingers an elaborately decorated magic carpet unrolled itself off his back and obediently floated before his feet.

"I look forward to your efforts in finding the Necklace of Harmonia," he stated as he stepped on the carpet and flew off into the sky.

"Geez, what a weirdo," the black avian muttered.

"Well, seems we have no time to lose," replied Jing.

Within a matter of seconds Jing and Kir made their way across the rooftops.

**37th Shot: The Princess of Zaza and the Drifter**

"And stay out, you filth!"

A teenage girl with long silver hair wearing a dark and skin-tight slick outfit stood triumphantly over the battered body of a so-called Bandit King. Her cold silver eyes gazed down on the robber without pity. Quivering, the beaten thief stared up at her in horror.

"Y-Yes of course, your majesty, of course!" stammered the burglar. "J-Just don't kill me, please!"

"Then get out and never come back," growled the silver-eyed girl, brandishing her sword. "Now."

Without a moment's hesitation the bandit stumbled away the best he could into of darker alleys. The blade-wielding girl watched him warily as he slipped back into the shadows. She did not pursue because she knew that her guards would be waiting for him at the other end.

Letting out a sigh and sheathing her sword once more, she had barely taken two steps before another wannabe ruler of thieves went sailing by, screaming like a girl all the way. The terrified yell was abruptly cut off as the impersonator crashed faced first into the side of a brick building. With a moan, the imposter peeled off the wall like a worn sticker and landed painfully onto the hard ground, knocked out cold.

Then the silver-haired girl noticed another teenage girl coming down the street, a blonde who also had lengthy hair, as well as crystal blue eyes and a lithe build. She wore fairly baggy clothes, a worn white shirt with some rough-looking khaki pants and a slightly small jacket that looked like it was stitched together by a child's handiwork. On top of her head was a red baseball cap that looked fairly new, turned around backwards to show the small face of a wide-smiling cat with swirly eyes embroidered on the middle of the back of the hat. Resting over her shoulders was a baseball bat. But what the silver-eyed warrior noticed the most about this girl were the unsightly scars that decorated the left side of her face, tarnishing what would otherwise be a beautiful face.

Judging by the somewhat smug look on that scarred face, the silver-haired girl deduced that she was most likely the one who sent the phony Bandit King flying.

"Nice shot," she complemented once the girl came closer.

The blonde paused and looked over to the other girl about her age.

"Thanks," she replied, peering over to where her victim had landed. "I think that was my best hit yet."

"So you're here to deal with the overflow of thieves as well?" questioned the blade-wielding girl, going over to poke the defeated bandit with her foot some.

"Well…not really…I just came here trying to find someone. But since all these crooks are running amuck and are making things that much more difficult for me, I might as well take a few out," replied the blue-eyed girl, studying the other girl closer. "…Silver hair, silver eyes, great with a sword…you're the princess, aren't you?"

"Yes," answered the sword-bearer. "I am Princess Stir of Zaza."

"Nice to meet you, princess," the girl with the red baseball cap replied. "It's nice to know that not all princesses lock themselves up in castles and wait for someone to save them."

Suddenly yet another so-called Bandit King dashed I -between them, carrying a substantial amount of goods from a bakery.

"I'll take care of this one," stated the baseball bat carrier, swiftly giving chase. "Good luck to you."

"Good luck to you two," responded Stir, watching the girl run off after the burglar before leaping up to the nearest rooftop herself.

Once on her perch, she shaded her eyes with her hand and surveyed her city. All kinds of ruffians were traversing, fighting, even chatting on Zaza's rooftops like it was the usual thing to do, tearing everything up in the process.

"How dare they…"

"How dare they what?"

Stir spun around to see a boy with obsidian hair and steel-hued eyes standing behind her, a casual smile on his face. A black bird wearing a red bandana hovered over his shoulder.

"Long time no see princess," he greeted.

"Jing?" the apparent majesty questioned, then narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "Is that really you?"

"Last time I checked, yep," the boy in the blazing coat answered.

"How can I be sure, with all these other imposters running around?" she growled.

"Well…Perhaps this will help," the obsidian-haired boy offered.

He suddenly rushed forward, grabbing her hands and raising them into a dancing position.

"We still haven't had our first dance yet, now have we?"

Immediately those hard silver eyes softened, and a small smile appeared on her face.

"So it is you," she replied somewhat quietly, before breaking from the waltzing pose. "But we don't have time to dance right now. A bunch of fools are claiming to be you and have been gathering from everywhere the past few days, looking for something called of Necklace of Harmonia. And where have you been hiding anyway, inside a glacier? Your hands are freezing!"

"Well, it is a bit nippy out," the boy with gray-hued eyes responded, quickly stuffing his hands into his pockets. "As for all your new tourists, they were recruited by a man named Pharos, whose looking for the necklace you mentioned earlier. He figured that he'd have a better chance of getting it if he got a bunch of Bandit Kings instead of just one."

"And are you ones of those hired ones?" questioned Stir.

"Well, I wouldn't say hired is the right word," Jing began. "More like hanging around to see what happens next, and maybe getting the necklace and the reward while I'm at it."

"So all you're here for is some pretty necklace hat everyone happens to want at the moment," the silver-eyed princess inferred, a bit of an edge to her voice. "I'm been waiting here for almost two years and the only reason you come back is for some pricey treasure. Why am I not surprised?"

"Hey, I've tried to convince him to go back sooner, but Jing's kinda shy, you see," interjected Kir, a coy smile on his face.

The black-haired boy decided to ignore that last comment.

"So what have you heard about the Necklace of Harmonia, princess?" he asked Stir.

"Not much," she admitted. "I'd never even heard of it until all these fakes came to the city. All I know is that it was supposed to be a wedding gift for a mortal and a god that were about to be married. No one seems to even know what it looks like, much less how to find it."

"I see. Interesting…"

"Someone at the palace might know more," the girl with platinum hair suggested. "I know Angostura and his grandfather Angostura senior have been trying to look into it, as well as myself. Maybe they're figured something out by now. At the very least we won't have all these thieves at our backs. Crime's gone through the roof."

"Sounds like a good place to start."

"Well, come on then," the silver-eyed girl responded, proceeding to leap on and off of a string of rooftops.

Jing was soon following closely behind.

"As you wish, your majesty."

**_38th Shot: All Hail the Bandit Queen!_**

"You know, this guy you're working for, he can't be very bright."

"What makes you say that?" asked the gray-eyed thief, as he and the sword-bearing princess casually hopped from roof to roof, with Kir not flying far behind.

"Well, if I wanted some bandits to steal something for me, I'd tell them to keep a low profile," stated Stir. "And yet all these morons are parading around the square, talking about this Necklace of Harmonia like it's the most common knowledge of the world. Certainly anyone who would have it has either left Zaza or guards it all the more carefully now."

"Perhaps all those morons down there are making themselves obvious because they want everyone to know about them," suggested Jing.

"What are you talking about? You're not making any sense," stated the silver-eyed princess.

"I mean this isn't just snatching treasure for a bounty," explained the bandit in the blazing coat. "Here are all these thieves, all these supposed Bandit Kings, all trying to obtain the same thing. With only the best here, imagine what it would say of the skill of the one who manages to capture the prize…like having a trophy that announces that they are the King of Bandit Kings, and therefore the _true_ Bandit King."

"I see. It's all a matter of pride," concluded Stir. "You definitely deserve this necklace, whatever it may be, but is treasure all -"

At that moment a blur of red came into the silver-haired princess's path, very nearly colliding with her. After swiftly moving on an adjacent rooftop, Stir's hand darted over to her sword's hilt. Jing and Kir also took a defensive position.

It was an older teenage girl, maybe about sixteen or seventeen. She had deep orange hair going down to only halfway down her cheek and vivid scarlet eyes. Her outfit consisted of a black tank top, sleek crimson pants, several different belts varying in size and hue loosely strung around her waist, large golden loops serving as earrings, and three colorful bracelets made of many semiprecious stones that were hanging off her left arm. On her head was a golden crown broken in half, only staying on because a thick bandana had been weaved through the jewel-less hollows in the crown and was tied into place.

As she stood up, she latched those scarlet eyes onto Stir, eyes swirling with fire. But after only a moment those blazing eyes cooled down to resting embers, and a calmer expression took over her face.

"Oh, it's just you, princess."

Stir's own silver eyes narrowed.

"And what do you mean by _just_ me?"

"Oh! Well, you see…" the scarlet-eyed girl began. "…For a moment I thought there was someone else planning to be the Bandit Queen. But it's just you, so it's no big deal."

"Bandit Queen, eh?" Jing asked, smirking. Inside this right jacket pocket, however, his hand was clutching something in the darkness.

"Oh wow, look at her! She's red-hot!" exclaimed Kir, rushing up to her. "Yeah, you're on fire, baby. Can I be your firebird?"

"Hell no," the girl with pumpkin-hued hair growled, smacking him aside. "Why would I want to date a bird anyway?"

"Oh, but you're like the reincarnation of a goddess of fire," the black albatross added, looking almost pitiful in his flat rejection.

"She is that, I'll admit," Jing commented absentmindedly, his hand still in his right pocket. Stir gave him an odd glance, and then focused all the more on the scarlet-eyed girl.

"You men can play your Bandit King games all you like," the lavishly-clad girl taunted, a devilish smirk on her face. "But I, Lilith, am the Bandit Queen, who has been, is, and always will be better than any of you Bandit Kings!"

"Oh please."

Lilith's head snapped in the direction of the dark-clad princess.

"What'd you say?!"

"Do you really think you can be a thief when you're running around like a demented fireball and constantly boasting about being the Bandit Queen?" challenged Stir, her hands on her hips. "If you were really a Bandit Queen, you wouldn't tell us who you really were until you had actually stolen something and were already making your escape."

The orange-haired girl fumed.

"Oh yeah?! Like some pampered princess would know."

"Well, this pampered princess fought in the last Mascarrera as the Warrior of the Rising Sun," the platinum-haired girl stated.

"What does that have to do with being a bandit?!" Lilith barked.

"It had nothing to do with being a bandit. It simply means I'm familiar with the outside world," the silver-eyed warrior replied. "You, on the other hand, are still reveling in your fantasy of being the Bandit Queen instead of facing your reality. From what I've seen of your skills and stealth, I wouldn't hire you to steal me a loaf of bread."

"That's it!" roared the scarlet-eyed girl. "You'll be singing a different tune once I grind your face into the dirt!"

"Just try it."

"W-Wait a sec!" exclaimed Kir, suddenly flying between the two of them. "Why can't we just try to get along? You shouldn't mess up your beautiful skins after all."

"Save it birdbrain," hissed Lilith, once again knocking him out of the way. "She's the one who asked for it."

Picking himself off the ground, the black albatross scurried over to the black-haired boy.

"Jing! Shouldn't we do something?!"

"…Let them do as they wish. It's none of our business."

"But Jing -"

Before Kir could protest more, Lilith grabbed something off her belt and threw it to the ground, causing a huge ashen cloud of smoke to engulf the entire area. Enveloped in the artificial mist, Stir quickly and silently drew her plain sword blade and listened hard. Soon she heard swift footsteps racing in her direction. Quickly taking a defensive position with her weapon, she just managed to block Lilith's strike with twin knives decorated with sapphires.

In a furious yet graceful form, the scarlet-eyed thief strung together a series of rapid slices and slashes with her double daggers. The platinum-haired princess in turn kept a mostly defensive position parrying the whirlwind of blades and only received a few cuts in return.

Lilith broke off her attack briefly to catch her breath, the smokescreen she had released starting to be carried away by the wind. Stir took advantage of the pause to charge forward with her own blade. The lavishly-clad bandit soon found herself evading the sword's strikes and stabs, getting a couple of long yet shallow wounds when the weapon grazed her skin.

The fight sailed across the top of Zaza, with Jing and Kir casually following. Some of the citizens below happened to catch a glimpse of the battle and stared for a while before snapping back to attention to make sure another thief hadn't snatched their goods in the meantime. For a while the two combatants were forced to separate to avoid getting caught between the fire of two gun-slinging robbers wearing wolf masks. Another time a bit later, the so-called Bandit Queen and the princess of Zaza were nearly blown up by a wayward blast coming from an albatross much like Kir, who was really trying to take out a pack of dogs belonging to another burglar. After Lilith made sure to give the other two bandits a piece of her mind, the fighting resumed as fast and furious as ever.

Suddenly the twin blades went flying up into the air, pummeling into a rooftop with the point down, sticking in place. Before the scarlet-eyed robber could make a dash to repossess her weapons, Stir's sword was pointed right at her throat.

In one swift motion, the battle was over.

"Well, this is certainly a surprise," Lilith spoke, seeming just slightly intimidated by the blade near her neck. But this moment of weakness soon melted away, and a cocky smirk appeared on her face. "But hey, so I'm not perfect yet. I'll only get stronger from this point. In fact, I'd love to have a rematch right now, but I don't have the time for this so…"

The lavishly-clad girl threw a shiny powder into Stir's eyes, causing the princess to stumble back and lower her sword to rub the bright dust out of her eyes. By the time the platinum-haired warrior had gotten rid of most of the fine particles, the girl with pumpkin-hued hair was already a couple of rooftops away.

"…Until we meet again, you'll just hafta watch your back. 'Cause next time this Bandit Queen may not be so nice."

Before Stir could reply, Lilith slipped into an alleyway below.

The sword-bearing princess let out a sigh.

"The things you must have to put up with," she spoke to Jing, who was only a few feet behind her.

"Yeah, we have to go through all kinds of horrors," Kir stated, catching up to the black-haired boy. "But I wouldn't mind dealing with more catfights like that in our travels. Rowr."

"Well, I honestly wouldn't care if I never saw _her_ again."

"Nah, you should fight with her some more," the black avian insisted. "You should fight with her lots more times…"

"It's not nearly as fun if you have to actually fight your opponent," Stir growled, getting out some bandages. "…Is your partner always like this, Jing?"

"Yep," the gray-eyed boy replied casually, noting the cuts on her body. "Are you allright, princess?"

"Just a few scratches, that's all." Stir replied, quickly covering up the cuts with some bandages she had with her. "…Oh, and Jing?"

"Yes, princess?"

"…My name isn't princess. My name is Stir."

Jing smiled a little.

"Yes, of course."

"The palace isn't far now," stated the silvered-eyed girl. "Let's get going."

_There we go, an especially long chapter. I had Jing call Stir "princess" because he never actually calls her by her name in either the manga or anime, but he does call her "princess" once. And I thought it'd be a good way to show that Jing treats this girl a little differently than all the other girls he runs into._

_Got another chapter all ready to go, so the faster you review, the faster I update XP. _

_**NEXT CHAPTER**: With all the competition around for this heist, it isn't going to be easy tracking down the treasure. Yet perhaps the competition to be most wary of are the ones who seem to have nothing to do with the Necklace of Harmonia. And what will happen when a ghost from the past shows up waiting for the Bandit King? _

_Cya!_


	14. And a Burned Rose Still Blooms

_Hello! Another new chapter's up. This one's a bit slow, but that's because it's building up to other things. It's the calm before the storm, more or less. You will also see quite a few familar faces. _

_Disclaimer: Don't own King of Bandit Jing. But you guys know that by now._

_Storytime!_

**_39th Shot: A Visit to Alternate Eyes_**

Slipping out of the shadows and into the swarming street, Lilith let out a snarl.

"_I wouldn't hire you to steal me a loaf of bread_," she quoted the silver-eyed princess's words to herself in a snobbish and singsong voice. "Well I'll show her! Now, where'd that Adam go?"

Racing down the marketplace, occasionally leaping over and jumping on random people's heads she rushed past two boys hanging out near a mask-selling shop. The first boy was rather short, with vivid green eyes and stark white hair. The other boy was both older and taller, with fair blond hair, light blue eyes, and tanned Chesirian skin. At their feet a Corgi mix played with some pure white hares.

"Wow, look at all of 'em, Dal," the latter boy spoke, staring into the passing crowd. "I can't believe so many of them made it here."

"There are quite a few more than expected," replied the first boy, leaning down and petting the orange dog. "But no matter how many there are, this last part should cut it down to one. And don't call me Dal."

"Okay then, Mr. Superior Dalios sir," answered the blond, leaning forward with a large, mischievous grin on his face.

"…Can't you ever act normal, Falcon?"

"Nope."

Dalios sighed.

"So when's the fun gonna start anyway?' asked Falcon, looking up at the clear sky. "I mean, there's gotta be enough people, right?"

"Whenever Razekar's finished doing other business first," answered the white-haired boy.

"You mean when he's done goofing off and hitting on girls," the blue-eyed Chesirian concluded dryly.

"Well yeah, that too," responded the emerald-eyed boy. "Actually he probably is stalling some, since there are a few too many thieves here. Letting some of the Bandit Kings kill each other off some before the main event begins isn't a bad idea. But I do believe he has an actual assignment to do beforehand as well. He was saying something about it earlier."

"Huh," Falcon replied. "Wonder what's more important than finding out which of these guys is the real Bandit King."

The child with colorless hair leaned against the wall.

"You know, I wonder if there was ever a real Bandit King in the first place."

"Huh?" the fair-haired fighter responded, giving his companion a blank stare. "What are you talking about? If the Bandit King never existed, then why would we be looking for him?"

"Stories with people like the Bandit King are created and passed along all the time," Dalios explained. "Idealistic tales of individuals who can't be touched by the rules that apply to everyone else. Those legends appeal to people because there's not a person alive who doesn't wish they weren't outside the system's boundaries once in a while. When such a tale, fictional or not, is told, it makes it seem that the impossible just might be possible. Hey Falcon, you-"

The red-clad boy turned to see a deadly white face with a huge nose covered with warts, a bright red tongue hanging out of the mouth in a strange expression.

"GAH!"

Laughter was heard behind the face, and the mask was lowered by a highly amused Falcon.

"Gotcha!"

Glaring at the cobalt-clad boy, Dalios snatched the mask from his companion.

"Anyway, why aren't we doing this somewhere in Cheshiria? I mean, it's a Chesirian legend." questioned the fair-haired fighter, sitting down to tickle the ears of one of his rabbits.

"True," the emerald-eyed boy responded. "But in case you haven't noticed, all the legendary thefts as of late have been taking place everywhere _but_ Cheshiria. Besides, we aren't just looking for Chesirians; we're trying to figure just who out here is the best thief ever. It doesn't matter if they're Chesirian or not."

"Yeah, I guess you're right."

"Well, whether the Bandit King existed before or not, he will soon," Dalios noted, studying the mask he had taken from Falcon. "After all, the winner here will be crowned the best of the best, which technically would make that person the King of all Bandits. So it's kinda like we're proving a fairy tale's real, huh?"

"Well…I'll take your word for it."

Dalios smirked.

"Hey, give that back, little thief!" barked the owner of the mask stand, a chubby and balding man.

"Sure," the red-clad child replied, casually tossing the mask to the middle-aged man.

"Hey, do you know what the princess has been doing about all the thieves and stuff?" Falcon asked the mask-stand runner.

"Well, I've heard she's been darting about this way and that, beating up any Bandit Kings she comes across," the balding man answered. "But I saw her earlier, hanging around this tramp I know, probably another one of these Bandit King people. So who knows what she's _really_ doing. That tramp's a slick fellow, though. It seems that when he's not stealing pocket-watches or hijacking airplanes, he's having an affair with the princess of Zaza. Why am I not surprised…"

"Huh," the fair-haired fighter responded, a white rabbit hopping onto his right shoulder. "So what's this tramp look like anyway?"

"Oh, some kid with messy black hair and a bright orange trenchcoat," the mask storekeeper answered. "Kinda like that guy who stole your wallet just now."

Dalios was chuckling.

"What?!" Falcon exclaimed, his head snapping around to see a stranger much like the boy described by the chubby man, with a white cat perched on his shoulder.

"Hey you! Get back here!"

The stranger's head whipped, revealing startled brown eyes and three blonde streaks running through his hair. He broke into a run.

The blue-eyed Chesirian followed in close pursuit, chasing him into a nearby alley. There were a series of very painful sounds that ensued for the next five minutes. Soon afterward Falcon emerged unscathed, while the thief lay on the ground in a daze, his white cat pawing at him.

"Well, there's one less competitor now."

IIIIIIII

Inside an elaborate bedroom, with windows overlooking the city of Zaza, was a rather beautiful woman. She had long obsidian hair, with some of it tucked into a bun, and wore a pale blue dress, with golden embroidery and frills at the collar and bottom of the gown. She sat in a plush chair overlooking a table with a vase of irises, reading one of the many books stored in the shelves of that room. Or, at least, pretending to read it; she had not read three pages in nearly two hours.

_Stir, my daughter, _her thoughts echoed in her mind. _I know that you have not been traveling in the city just to go after criminals. You are looking for him, aren't you? You may never have said a word to me about it, but I can tell. The way you've defended his actions, the fact that you won't let any prince into your heart, not even_ _letting them dance with you, makes it quite obvious. And what better time for him to come again then when the city is flooding with Bandit Kings searching for treasure, this Necklace of Harmonia. He may be a fine young man, Stir, far too fine for your usual thief, but how do you plan to make a true king out of him? He will always wander, going off on an adventure of some kind, leaving you behind more often than not…and one day he may not come back… Stir, please realize-_

Suddenly she heard one of the tall windows creak open, and she broke out of her thoughts and whipped her head around to the direction of the sound.

Standing on the windowsill, hand resting against half of the open window, was a young man clothed baggy orange pants, a white shirt, and a forest-green vest, with semi-long golden-orange hair covered by a floppy hat, and mismatched eyes.

The intruder bore a pleasant smile.

"Swell weather today, eh Madame Dubonnet?"

**_40th Shot: She's Waiting for You_**

"Well, we made it in one piece…somehow," stated Stir, looking down the crowded sandy road they were on. The palace could be seen not far off, the current path leading straight to its gates. Several guards lined the street, so there was less, or at least less obvious, crime being committed there. Many of the guards would abruptly halt and bow down to the platinum-haired princess as she past.

"I wish they wouldn't do that…" Stir grumbled to herself. "Makes me feel like I'm sticking out like a sore thumb…"

"Wouldn't you be required for you to have guards with you now of all times?" questioned Jing, absentmindedly plucking an apple from someone's bag of groceries and biting into it. "After all, there are thieves about…"

"None of them could keep up," the dark-clad warrior answered dryly. "…And where did you get that apple?"

At that moment a duo of bandits suddenly rushed around the corner of a building, a hail of pebbles being flung at them. One was a redhead boy with blue eyes with a transformed snake wrapped around his right arm, while the other was a taller female with orange-hued hair, with a black tank top and tight red pants with several buckles hanging around her waist. Both wore opposite halves of a broken crown around their heads, and at the moment looked somewhat panicked as they started to scramble down the road, away from the palace.

"Those guys again?" questioned Kir, as he and his companions calmly watched the burglar pair zip by. "Well Lilith ain't so bad, but that Adam guy's annoying."

"You know the other one?" asked Stir.

"We fought with him earlier," replied Jing.

Then from around the corner came the pursuers. They were a group of young boys, perhaps a year or two younger than Jing, and they were all armed with slingshots full of rocks. The tallest one was bald except for a few curly strings of black hair, the one of medium height wore a turban-like piece of cloth around his head, with thick and curly green hair sticking out the top, and the smallest one wore a bright blue hat shaped like a mushroom over his head. All of them wore black-and-blue jackets with plain white shirts and plain white pants, though the lower part of the pants had become dirty from the city's free-roaming dust.

"Jing!" exclaimed Kir, pointing to the trio of boys. "Isn't that -"

"Seems so," the obsidian-haired boy replied somewhat quietly.

"You know them?" asked the blade-wielding princess.

"Yes, from…long ago," the steel-eyed boy answered, watching as the chasing triad leapt over a red laser beam launched from Eve's mouth. Jing calmly watched as the resulting gash in the ground promptly exploded, destroying a stand or two and scarring part of the road. Ordinary people came screaming out of the dust cloud and Zaza soldiers came charging in.

"Adam, you idiot! Not here!" Lilith snapped, causing the redhead to cringe slightly. "This place is infested with guards! You can't just go blowing stuff up. Let's get outta here while we still can!"

Quickly the two of them retreated into the hazy dust cloud for cover. Not long after the three boys stumbled out, looking confused but unhurt. After seeing the masses of guards coming their way, they too swiftly fled to hide.

"What are they doing here?" questioned the black albatross.

"Who knows…" replied Jing, continuing to walk toward the palace.

"Hey, Jing! Shouldn't we go say hi?" asked the dark avian, flying after him.

"…No," the obsidian-haired thief replied. "I don't think it's a good idea…"

"…yeah, you're right," Kir agreed, looking to the side. While doing so he happened to spot a rather lovely lady in a purple dress walking by. Instantly his face brightened and he floated away to follow her.

"Hey, we don't have time for this!" Stir snapped, running after the wayward albatross. "Go ahead Jing. I'll be right with you."

Jing was about to join her anyway when he thought he saw something out of the corner of his eye. He was close enough now that he could see the gate of the palace, and right in front of the gate stood someone who couldn't have been a guard, not unless the royalty of Zaza was hiring young girls to protect their gate. No, she was apparently just lounging around the gate, fooling with the baseball cap in her hand and running her hands through her long blond hair, while the guards were still busy trying to track down who had caused the laser blast earlier. After a little bit she picked up something that she had set against the stone pillars framing the gates and started running it over the bars of the gate in boredom. After squinting a little Jing saw it must've been a baseball bat.

_Long, blonde hair, a baseball cap, and a bat…she looks like…but it can't…_

"_Oh, by the way, an old friend of ours is here too."_ echoed the memory of Postino. _"You should go say hello to her. She's been looking for you."_

…_Can it?_

He felt his body moving towards the gate, his gaze locked onto the girl in an almost dream-like state. At first it was slow, but steadily his pace gained speed. The closer he got, the more familiar she became.

"…Cassis?"

His voice wasn't quite loud enough, and she wasn't quite close enough. She continued to run her bat across the bars.

His body began to run now.

"…Cassis?...Cassis!"

She paused, and then began to turn around, her long blonde hair covering up part of her face as a slight breeze blew across her.

"Huh?"

"Cassis!" he called, sprinting the rest of the way to the gate. He paused in front of her to catch his breath.

Her blue eyes studied the boy in the blazing coat.

"Jing?"

The boy with dust-hued eyes looked up and smiled when he realized it was, in fact, her.

"Long time no see, huh?"

"Yeah," Cassis replied somewhat awkwardly. "Where have you been? I've been looking all over for you."

"Oh, around," the black-haired boy answered. "I -"

His words suddenly stopped short as he got a better look of the other side of her face. Terrible scars marred the upper and middle part of the left side of her face, snaking their way around the surface. Looking down, he noticed that the back of her left hand and a bit of the arm also bore some disfigurement as well. He could only guess that there were more underneath where the clothes covered her. He remorsefully looked to the side.

"What?" asked the sky-eyed girl, before unconsciously running her fingers over the scarred area of her face. "Oh, this? Don't worry about it. These are like medals of honor."

"But…" the boy with dust-hued muttered. "If I…"

"I said not to worry about it. I'm proud of these scars anyway," answered Cassis, leaning on her bat slightly. "What's with you anyway? This isn't like you to be so quiet."

"Well…It's just…I thought…"

"Jing!" called a certain silver-eyed princess, as she ran to the scene with Kir in tow. It didn't take her long to notice the new girl. "Who's this?"

"Oh, Stir! This is - "

"C-Cassis!" squawked the black albatross, his eyes almost popping out of his head. "You're alive!"

"What?" asked the baseball-wielding blond, looking puzzled. "Of course, I'm alive. I -"

"I never thought I'd see you again!" exclaimed Kir, rushing up to her and hugging her arm. "I mean, after all the explosions, and the fire, I - "

"That's right," Cassis replied, lightly touching some of the burn scars on her hand. "Last time I saw you guys, you were being dragged into that jail car and there were flames everywhere…so I guess it's no surprise you would've thought…"

"So you were looking for Jing when I saw you earlier," Stir interrupted, looking at Cassis. "Am I right?"

"Yeah, since that time," answered the sky-eyed girl. "At first I planned to break the two of them out of jail, but they had already broke out by the time I finally got there. But I kinda need his help in general…"

"Need something stolen?" asked the black-haired boy.

"Not exactly…"

Suddenly a panicky hoard of soldiers busted out of the palace doors and hastily opened the gate, almost slamming them on the group outside. Whipping their heads around frantically, they spotted the princess of Zaza not far off. Immediately they swarmed around her, hurriedly escorting her through the gate and into the castle despite her protests, and slammed both the gate and the palace door shut. The boy with dust-hued eyes, as well as his remaining companions and quite a few of the populace, were left staring in puzzlement.

"What was that about?" asked Cassis, narrowing her eyes.

"Well, why don't we go find out?" offered the boy in the blazing coat, walking over towards the gate to climb it.

**_41st Shot: Snatched!_**

"WHAT?! When did this happen?!"

"A-About thirty minutes ago at the most," stuttered one of the soldiers.

"I'm so sorry!" cried out a brunette boy in a blue uniform. "I have utterly failed in my duty! Can you ever forgive me?!"

"We have no time for idle chatter," stated the grandfather of the boy, an old man wearing an angry red mask. "We must commence a search immediately."

"Whacha guys looking for?"

Everyone snapped their heads up to a gray-eyed boy perched atop of one of the statues, casually smiling. Resting on his shoulder was a black albatross, and not far off on another statue was a blonde girl with a baseball bat.

"Someone's kidnapped my mother!" shouted Stir angrily.

"You mean the queen?!" exclaimed the blonde.

"Yes…" replied the brunette boy. "I heard a scream from the bedroom, and when I rushed upstairs she was gone, with this note left on the table."

He handed Jing a crumpled-up piece of paper. The boy in the blazing coat quietly unfolded it enough to analyze the contents, with Kir looking over his shoulder.

"Dear servants," Jing began to read. "Her majesty shall come with me to meet the Big Shot. Don't worry, he'll treat her far ritzier than you could ever imagine, so she'll be happy for the rest of her days. She is a Sheba among Shebas. Signed, Not a King of Bandits."

The black-haired boy handed back the note.

"What's with all these weird words?" asked the dark avian. "Big Shot? Ritzier? A Sheba among Shebas?"

"It's slang from a country far from here," stated the grandfather. "I often hear it from the tourists when the Masquerade is going on. _Big Shot _refers to his boss, _Ritz _is a term for elegance or richness, and a _Sheba _is a beautiful woman, so by saying the queen is _a Sheba among Shebas, _he is saying that she is the most beautiful among beautiful women."

"So we're looking for a guy that talks funny," Kir summarized.

"And isn't a King of Bandits," added the brunette boy.

"Don't count on him not being a Bandit King," interjected Jing. "He did steal the queen, after all."

"And even if he isn't, it doesn't mean he won't pretend to be one in public," added Cassis, her eyes narrowed.

"We can't waste any more time!" Stir shouted. "Who knows what kind of psycho we're dealing with here. Everyone go out and track down anyone of suspicion, including all Bandit Kings."

The soldiers all turned their gazes to the Bandit King standing right next to her.

"And he's been with me for the past half-hour, so he's got an alibi."

The soldiers abruptly nodded and rushed out through the caste door and into the city, following by the young brunette and his grandfather wearing their masks.

"C'mon, Jing, let's go!"

IIIIIII

"I-I told you," stuttered a terrified thief with the beginnings of a beard, his body bearing some ugly bruises. "I-I don't know nothing! I swear!"

All kinds of lowly scum, including a lot of Bandit Kings, were lying around the hideout, either unconscious or about so. The thief that was being interrogated was one of the leaders, and was currently being questioned by a certain silver-eyed princess who had her blade drawn. A sky-eyed blonde with a stitched-together jacket was also helping out, using her baseball ball to subdue the few remaining resistors. Not too far behind her was a bandit in a blazing coat, looking over the defeated and occasionally pilfering anything that interested him. Large scorched holes dotted the walls, some still smoking and glowing green around the edges.

"You know, you're just as bad as they are," pointed out Cassis with annoyance, as Jing casually liberated some fancy gold chains from an especially large bandit.

"Well, I _am_ a Bandit King, after all," the steel-eyed boy replied, smirking. "And I need some smaller items to sell for quick cash. Most of my targets aren't really things you could properly sell, you see."

"I guess," replied the baseball-wielder, giving a particularly fearsome goon a good whack on the head with her weapon. "But do you hafta be obvious? You could as least _pretend_ you're behaving yourself."

Stir half-listened with annoyance as she continued to inquire the thief leader.

"Are you sure?" she growled, resting her blade near his neck. The bandit yelped slightly.

"A-Actually, there was this one guy…"

"Speak up!"

"Yeah! Yeah! There was this one odd-looking fellow. Talked kinda funny too," the thief blurted out. "Noticed him 'cause he was so tall and had these strange colored eyes. One of 'em was blue and the other was orange, and there was this scar on his face where the orange one was. Thin as a rail he was, with orange hair that looked like it was overdue for a cut. Pretty well groomed though. Anyway, I did hear him asking around about what the Madame was like and stuff. He didn't saying anything about a kidnapping, but then again you don't talk about those kinda things to strangers anyway."

Stir's silver eyes narrowed.

"Anything else?"

"T-That's all I know! I swear it!"

The sword-bearer leered at the quivering thief for a few moments, and then put her blade back in its sheath.

"C'mon, let's go."

The gray-eyed boy and blue-eyed girl looked over to her, and started headed toward the exit with the silver-haired princess.

"Hold on! We haven't checked out all these guys for loot yet!" Kir whined.

Both Cassis and Stir glared at the black albatross.

"Um…nevermind," Kir squeaked, hurriedly joining them.

They had taken no more than a few steps when they were nearly overrun by a stampede of Bandit Kings. In fact, it seemed that just about all the impersonators were rushing in the same direction, whether it was by road, rooftop, or sky.

"What's going on?" asked the dark avian, staring at the speeding spectacle.

"I dunno. Why don't we join them and find out?" suggested Jing, as and the others joined the migrating herd.

As they raced with the crowd, it just so happened that they were joined by a couple of familiar thieves running side by side.

"Well, look who it is," the black-haired boy spoke.

Upon hearing the voice, Adam, Eve and Lilith snapped their heads in Jing and Stir's direction.

"YOU!" they all snapped at the same time. Immediately afterwards they gave each other confused looks, and a jumble of dialogue soon followed.

"You know that guy?"

"You know the princess of Zaza?"

"Of course I do! That's the guy that creamed my earlier!"

"Yeah, I know her. She made me look like an idiot in our fight earlier. Wait, _that _squirt creamed _you_?"

"The_ princess of Zaza _beat _you_ to a pulp earlier? And my fight was close!"

"Oh, I'm _sure_ it was. C'mon, how are you gonna be Bandit King if you start losing to someone like him _now_? And there's no way Ms. Royal-Pain-In-The-Butt would ever be able to beat me again. She was just lucky earlier, that's all!"

"Would you like another taste of my blade then, Ms. Bandit Queen?"

"Bring it on, princess!"

"Easy, ladies, easy!" Jing interrupted, briefly breaking the bloodlust between the two fiery females. "More interesting things are at hand. Now, where's everyone off to in such a hurry?"

"Isn't it obvious?!" Adam answered indignantly. "The Necklace of Harmonia has been found!"

"What?!" Kir exclaimed.

The raven-haired boy's eyes merely narrowed, though a slight smirk crept up his face.

"Is that so?"

"Jing, we don't have time for this!" Stir shouted.

"She's right, we don't need you going off on a little reassure hunt while the queen's missing," agreed Cassis.

"Oh, I dunno, it may be the best place to look," replied the steel-eyed boy, before turning his to the red-and-orange hued pair of bandits. "So if one of you plans to be the Bandit King and the other the Bandit Queen, does that mean you'll be married and will rule all thieves side by side?"

"Of course!" Lilith proudly replied.

"No! He's mine!" barked Eve, slithering across Adam's shoulder to get as close to the scarlet-eyed thief's face as possible and the loose skin around her neck spreading out to its full glory. "He's mine and he will always be mine!"

"That's what you think, snake-breath!" Lilith retorted, leaning forward to get close to the serpent's face herself.

"Stop it you two!" shouted Adam.

The banter may have continued anyway if someone hadn't jumped into the street and passed them by in a split of a split second, pursued by a whole hoard of crazed burglars.

The blur gracefully leapt onto a high building and stopped there to look back on the swarm of Bandit Kings below. The smear turned out to be a reed of a young man, wearing a floppy orange cap on top of his golden-orange and somewhat long hair. His eyes, swirling with mischief, were a mismatched blue and orange, with a thin scar over the orange one. Around his neck was a golden necklace, with a beautiful crimson gem surrounded by three pairs of spread-out golden wings serving as the centerpiece.

The silver-eyed princess stared up at him in wonder and fury.

"That's him!" she yelled. "That's the kidnapper!"

_Heh, Cassis and Stir are a pain to write. I would've liked to put in some little fight between them, but so much happened right after they met that there wasn't really enough time for them to annoy each other XP. After all, there's a queen to rescue..._

_Cassis wasn't supposed to appear until considerably later, but after discussing it with someone who read the draft we decided to bump up her appearance to this quest. So if that part where she's fully introduced seems awkward, it's because I wrote it on the spot instead of out of rough draft. I think that first part is probably overdone, but hopefully it isn't so bad when you find out just why Jing reacted so strongly. Speaking of that, the bit about him going to jail ISN'T referring to Seventh Heaven. This is a fic-exclusive event set much earlier than Seventh Heaven, probably a few months after the fourth manga's/second OVA episode story where Cassis is introduced._

_Also, I didn't name either the three "disciples" of Jing or either of the Angosturas because they aren't very important to the story, and there are a lot of names flying around as it is. You see them briefly and that's about it. Oh, an a bonus to whoever knows what kind of slang the queen's kidnapper is using XP_

_**NEXT CHAPTER:** Chaos reigns as Jing and many others face off against the thief with mismatched eyes. Is that the third treasure he bears around his neck? It seems this opponent has a incredible power at his fingertips. Can any Bandit King stand up to him? And even then there is still a queen to be found...and Cassis learns supposedly uninteresting knowledge that could change everything about the meaning of the competition. _

_Busy, busy chapter next time...and quite possibly the last chapter for the third quest. Wow, I thought this part was longer..._

_Cya!_


	15. Just Look Out for Karma and Consequence

_Hello, everyone! Got snow? 'Cause I sure don't..._

_Anyway, welcome to the third and last part of the third quest...as well as the last chapter in section one of Gilded Smile. Only three more sections to go after this XP. You shouldn't be bored during this part; it's stuffed full of action, drama, plot twists, and maybe a little humor somewhere, and it's nice and long. Ginjou from the Zaza story in the series shows up briefly, but everyone else you've at least seen some of by now._

_Oh yes, when Jing and Kir are conversing telepathically via flight mode, Jing is in **italized bold** while Kir is in regular italics _

_Random babble: Is it just me, or does it sound like Jing is sometimes saying "Cassu" instead of "Cassis" in the sub of Seventh Heaven OVA? Then again, it might just be me missing an honorific or Jing saying the last 's' real soft or something..._

_Disclaimer: I do not own King of Bandit Jing, but I do own this plot. That means if anyone steals it, you're in trouble. Yes, even YOU Jing._

_And now let the final chapter of this section play itself out. _

_**42nd Shot: Chasing the Thunderbolt**_

Before anyone had a chance to stop her, Stir yanked out her sword and flung herself into the air, rocketing straight towards the young man with mismatched eyes. His eyes darted to her, and he sprang high up before the princess could skewer him with her blade. Then he soon found himself having to quickly evade a hard blow from Cassis's bat, who had tried to strike from behind. He hopped over to the edge of the rooftop.

"Why, if it isn't the princess!" the lanky bearer of the golden necklace remarked, bowing to the platinum-haired girl with a friendly enough smile on his face. "It's such an honor! And I give greetings to your blond friend as well."

The silver-eyed warrior returned a furious glare.

"Who are you?!" she snapped, pointing her blade towards the stranger with a scar running over his left eye.

"You can call me Razekar," the young man with golden-orange hair answered casually, his eyes never leaving Stir as he evaded a club strike from a brutish Bandit King and knocked out the massive man by karate-chopping him in the back of the neck. "And I don't know what bushwa you're talking about. I merely own this darb Necklace of Harmonia, nothing else."

"That's gonna be our Necklace of Harmonia pretty soon!" barked a rough avian voice behind him.

Razekar looked back to see a gray-eyed boy standing on another rooftop, equipped with a black albatross connected to his arm. A rather large pile of foes lay right behind him.

"Either you can just give us the jewelry or we can blow you up real good," Kir continued. "Either way's good with me."

"And you can tell this lovely lady here where her mother is being held," Jing added, gesturing to the silver-eyed princess.

Cassis shot Jing a somewhat irritated glance.

"Uh…yeah that too," agreed the dark avian.

"Ah, but if you go and bump me off in a grand flash of light, then there won't be any necklace left to steal," the lanky young man pointed out, picking up the centerpiece of the necklace and shaking it at them slightly. "And no one left to tell you where the Madame is, for that matter."

"So it _was_ you," the platinum-haired warrior hissed.

"Didn't seem any use denying it. You wouldn't believe me anyway," Razekar stated plainly, leaping straight up into the air to let two more so-called Bandit Kings crash into each other instead of him. He landed right behind Jing and Kir, who in turn swiftly spun around to face him.

"So I take it you aren't up for negotiations?" asked the black-haired boy.

"If I was, I'd be a total failure at my job," the thief with mismatched eyes replied casually.

Jing smirked.

"That's just what I thought."

"ALLRIGHT YOU BOZOS, OUTTA THE WAY!"

Near Stir, a bunch of wannabe thief rulers were thrown into the air as Lilith rushed onto the scene, her eager scarlet eyes locked on Razekar. Right behind her was Adam, his blue eyes swirling with dread.

"I'm serious, Lilith! Don't mess with him!" cried out the redhead.

"Hey, if she wants to die so badly, let her," advised his snake partner, currently perched on his shoulder.

"Oh c'mon, since when are you such a wimp?!" accused the girl with pumpkin-hued hair. "We've been mobbed by forty thieves all at once and came out without a scratch. Why are you so worried about _one guy_?"

"Cause that one guy - "

"Ah, forget it. I'll just do this myself!" she barked, lunging at the lanky necklace-bearer with her double daggers drawn.

The young man with golden-orange hair took a couple of quick skips backwards to avoid the twin slashes from her blades. From a metal band on his left wrist shot out an ultra-thin arm-sword created from about ten inches of controlled laser light. When Lilith struck again, he blocked the two weapons with the broad side of his beam blade and thrust his free hand onto her stomach. Suddenly his whole being began to overflow with electricity, great sparks and arcs of energy jumping on and off his body and his semi-long hair somewhat standing on end. The bright power raced down his arm and went right into the would-be Bandit Queen. The scarlet-eyed thief let out a brief scream before crumpling to the ground.

"Lilith!" yelled Adam, running over to her.

"Don't worry, she'll be fine. Just out for a little bit," Razekar reassured, before spotting another mob of robbers rushing towards him. "Oh, you fellas want some too? Well, here you go!"

He raised one of his arms straight out in front of him, and the gem of the Necklace of Harmonia began to shine yellow. A huge thunderbolt erupted from his arm, cracking like the snap of a whip and causing his hair to be blown back slightly. The artificial lightning crashed right in the middle of the pack, shocking and taking out all the Bandit Kings on one shot.

"So it's an amplifier of some kind…" muttered Cassis, clutching her bat.

Body still cackling with electricity, he put his left hand over his eyes and briefly surveyed the area.

"Hmm...seems like I'm finally making a dent in the bandit population around here…nice to know I'm making progress…

Razekar turned back to Jing, Cassis and Stir, radiant power coursing over his form.

"Whenever you fellas are ready!"

Stir and Cassis leapt in together, both of their weapons drawn. The blue-eyed blonde attempted to strike him with her bat, while the silver-eyed princess threw out some golden disks with sleeping faces on them. The lanky thief evaded both Cassis's bat and the projectiles with relative ease. When the disks had passed Razekar, however, the sleeping faces awakened, and two sharp blades snapped from the top and bottom. In their new boomerang form, they came shooting back. The young man with the golden-orange hair only noticed them seconds before they were going to hit him, and bounced out of the way just in time.

While the odd-eyed bandit was just about to land, Jing and Kir powered up their own attack.

"Give me a Kir Royale!"

The explosion of energy was barely evaded by a quick dodge-roll from the necklace-bearing opponent, leaving a wide hole in the middle of the roof. People inside the building, apparently a restaurant judging by all the tables and food, either fled the place screaming or blankly stared at the destroyed ceiling. Razekar took advantage of the distraction to start running off to someplace else.

"Jing, you can't do that here!" Stir barked, as the three of them went in pursuit of the lanky thief. "I want Zaza to come out of this in one piece. The fakes have done enough damage as it is. And besides, we need this scum alive."

"What are we supposed to do then?!" snapped Kir, still attacked to Jing's arm. "If we try to touch the guy we'll get electrocuted!"

"We'll need to short-circuit him," the silver-eyed princess pointed out.

"Well, obviously," growled Cassis. "But how are we gonna do that, princess?"

The platinum-haired girl shot a quick glare at the baseball-bat wielder.

"Oh I dunno, that doesn't sound too hard," the black-haired boy replied casually, not looking back at either one of them. "Kir, lend me your wings instead. It'll be easier to keep up with him that way."

"Huh? What do you mean by _lend me your wings_?" asked Cassis, looking puzzled.

Jing smirked.

The black albatross detached from the gray-eyed boy's arm, only to reattach to his back. As the wings grew and lengthened and the excess backbone of the avian became like a bony tail, his body began to give off a bright green glow. As he started to take flight, he looked back on the girls behind him, which revealed his slitted pupils and especially bright shadow-emerald eyes.

Stir briefly studied Jing's new form with a look that seemed unsure about this winged metamorphosis.

Cassis looked like she didn't care for it much at all.

"We'll herd him to the center of the city," the transformed raven-haired boy stated, as he began to glide ahead with increasing speed.

"But there are a lot of civilians there!" exclaimed the silver-eyed princess.

_Yeah, she's right, _echoed Kir's voice in Jing's mind. _There are too many people. And it's pretty cramped around that area too, so it'd be really hard to fight in._

"Don't worry," the thief with shadow-emerald eyes assured. "By the time we get there, the battle will be over in a matter of seconds."

Stir's silver eyes narrowed. Cassis also gave him an odd look.

"Just what are you planning to do?" asked the dark-clad warrior.

"Oh, you'll see," Jing replied casually, rushing off before the princess could question more.

Upon seeing the airborne bandit catching up to him, Razekar smirked. He pointed his left hand at the winged thief and fired multiple lightning bolts at him, the gem of the necklace flashing every time he did so. Jing gracefully weaved through the masses of electricity, slowed down only slightly by the assault. As Jing dove down to avoid an especially large thunderbolt, he picked up a broken wooden sign advertising alternate solutions to violence and threw it at Razekar, very effectively nailing him on the back with it.

Though it did knock him on his stomach, the thief with golden-orange hair was hurt little otherwise. However, there was enough downtime to allow for the thief in avian-like form to catch up, and Razekar hastily evaded a downward thrust from Jing's arm blade. Immediately afterward a set of boomerang blade-disks from a certain silver-eyed princess forced him to flee eastward.

Cassis was running in to strike from another direction, but a large discharge of energy from Razekar forced her to dive into the alley below to avoid it. By the time she managed to make her way back up, the others were far ahead of her.

"Terrific…" she hissed, hurriedly pursuing them.

IIIIIII

As the winged bandit chased after Razekar at top speed, dodging more lightning bolts, Jing sensed growing cockiness from the avian currently fused with his spine.

_Heh, this guy ain't so tough. All we hafta do is wait for this guy run out of juice from firing all those lighting bolts at us and we can wipe the floor with him! The necklace and the reward from that Pharos guy is as good as ours!_

_**Well, we can finish it faster than that, Kir. And I doubt he found the necklace on his own.**_

_Huh? Whaddaya mean he didn't find it on his own? How else could he have found it?_

Jing spun out of the way of a jolt of electricity.

_**It was given to him. By Pharos, most likely.**_

_What?! But that doesn't make sense!_

The winged bandit swooped down to let a thunderbolt sail right above them.

_**Sure it does. If he really found it, why announce it to all the other thieves in the middle of the city, where he's vulnerable? It'd be much easier for him to gloat at a safer distance. It's like he wants to fight all the others. And there's hardly any information abut the necklace, even what it looks like, and yet all of a sudden this guy has it out of the blue? And when I tried to negotiate, he said that if he did that, he'd fail at his job. Which means he was hired to do it.**_

_But what makes you think Pharos is behind it?_

Another bolt dodged.

_**Don't you see, Kir? It's another test! Pharos was never after those treasures in the first place. Most likely they've been his all along. He just wants to see who can obtain them. In other words, he's really after the most talented thief out there, the Bandit King!**_

His shadow-emerald eyes swirled with the excitement of a feline about to capture its hapless prey.

_**And if he's looking for the best thief out there, then he must want them to steal an especially precious object. Obviously this Pharos is very clever; just look at this whole set-up he has to locate the finest thieves. And this Razekar seems to be a worthy bandit himself; he showed that by stealing the queen away. If he can't obtain this treasure, then it must be very elusive or well-guarded indeed, a legend among legends. That, Kir, is what the true prize is here!**_

His train of thought with Kir was abruptly cut short as one of the thunderbolts struck him, the power contained inside it racing through his body. Stunned, the winged bandit fell onto a rooftop.

"Jing!"

He was just taking lift again when Stir caught up with him.

"Are you allright?"

"Good enough," the thief with shadow-emerald eyes answered casually. "Just keep our friend here on course."

The silver-eyed princess nodded in understanding as she threw more moon boomerang disks at Razekar when he began venturing too far north.

Jing and Stir were soon back on the trail. In fact, it wasn't long until Jing and Razekar had arrived at Zaza's center. Here there were a myriad of open market stands, classy restaurants, and loitering citizens. At the middle of this local hangout was a huge fountain that spurted water several feet into the air.

Stir was about to catch up when she was cut off by a blonde boy with somewhat dark skin.

"Sorry Miss Stir, but only Bandit Kings are can be allowed in his competition," he stated. "But it's such an honor to meet you in person!"

"Stand aside!" shouted the platinum-haired warrior, drawing her sword.

"Nope, 'fraid I can't do that," replied the fair-haired fighter, taking a fighting pose. "But I'll try to be a worthy opponent for the Warrior of the Rising Sun."

The two of them lunged at each other

IIIIIII

"Dammit, where'd they go?!"

Cassis had lost sight of both Jing and Stir, as well as the necklace-bearing thief, a while ago. She had been following the fireworks of electricity to keep on course, but now even these had mostly vanished from view. She knew they were heading towards the center of Zaza, but where that was at she had little to no idea.

"Hey!" a chorus of three voices cried out behind her.

The baseball-wielding girl turned around to see her trio of younger friends rushing over to her, carrying a huge load of mail in between them.

"We found Postino's mail!"

"Good job," she replied, smiling at them and resting her bat on her shoulder. "I think Postino's somewhere at the city limits. Go give it to him there."

"Yes ma'am!" the three replied all at once, saluting her and running off in the opposite direction.

Sighing and shaking her hand, she almost ran into a large blonde man carrying a large mug in one hand, and a large sack stuffed with goods most likely not belonging to him in the other. Cassis immediately took a battle pose.

"Whoa whoa, easy there," replied the large man, wearing a sheepish grin.

"You're another Bandit King, aren't you?" she growled.

"Actually I'm just a plain old thief," answered the blond. "Name's Ginjou. Not King of Bandits Ginjou. Just Ginjou."

"And what makes you different from all these Bandit Kings running around?"

"These Bandit King people take themselves way too seriously," stated Ginjou, taking a drink out of his mug. "They just have to be the best no matter what. Gotta take the best things, gotta be the quickest, gotta take the most…if you aren't talented enough, you just can't do it. And you have to be a thief all the time, and in the slickest fashion, or your reputation goes down the drain. No fun at all. But me…I take what I feel like taking, when I feel like it. Hey, I may not be the most talented bandit of all time, but then again I just steal for the fun of it. I'm gonna enjoy my life at my own pace, and if I know I'm gonna die then I'll make sure I'm nice and drunk when it happens."

Cassis raised an eyebrow.

"That's a strange philosophy."

"Is it? Well, it probably is, but it works for me," Ginjou replied, laughing a bit as he began to pass her by. "Oh yeah, all those Bandit King people are all competing for this tournament thing set up here. Whoever gets that shiny necklace whatever gets a prize for some guy named Pharos."

Cassis eyes suddenly exploded with panic.

"Pharos!?" she exclaimed, spinning around to face the large man. "Did you say Pharos?!"

He looked back to the blue-eyed girl with some surprise.

"Uh…yeah."

Hissing something under her breath, she suddenly bolted off.

Ginjou simply stared as she quickly vanished from sight.

"…Well, nice to meet you too."

IIIIIIIIIII

The people residing in the area found themselves quickly fleeing as an electrified bandit landed below, thing lightning and sparks going off in all directions. A shining black-haired thief hovered above.

_**Time to end this**_

Jing dove down, and Razekar bounced high into the air. As he leapt over the fountain, Kir detached from Jing's back, only to fuse onto his arm. The boy in the blazing coat pointed the bionic gun at the fountain.

"Give me a Kir Royale!"

The green energy blast collided with the large water spout, blowing it up to smithereens and causing the water to shoot far upwards. In fact, it went so high that it drenched Razekar. But water and live electricity don't mix so well…

The lanky thief let out a yell as his own power betrayed him. When the electricity was all but gone, the bandit with golden-orange hair fell unconscious to what was left of the fountain. He resurfaced a few moments later, coughing and spitting out the excess water and managing to make it over to the edge of the fountain.

"Heh, not too bad, kid. Not too bad at all."

"We'll be taking that necklace now," Kir stated smugly, detaching from Jing's arm and gliding over to snatch the treasure. Razekar put up no resistance as the albatross closed his talons around the back of the golden chain and lifted it off his neck. After a few moments of staring at the necklace-piece and its wondrous ruby in amazement, the dark avian flew back over to the raven-haired boy and dropped it into his open palm.

The bandit with steel-hued eyes raised the gilded centerpiece to eye level, studying the craftsmanship of the jewelry with cool satisfaction. Then he pulled the golden chain over his head and let it slide down onto his shoulders, the centerpiece gently thudding against his chest. While the crimson gem shone in the sunlight, Jing eyed the battle going on between Stir and the fair-haired fighter. The cobalt-clad one wasn't having much luck.

_She seems to be doing well._

Splashing and sloshing was here, and Jing's attention is averted to the drenched lanky thief.

"Well you sure made a sap out of me today," remarked Razekar, as he pulled himself out of the fountain and shook the excess water off. "Guess I'm not the Bandit King after all. Oh well."

"Where are you keeping the queen?" questioned the new bearer of the Necklace of Harmonia.

"…She's just outside of Zaza, right before the forest of thorns," Razekar explained somewhat quietly. "C'mon, I'll take you there."

**_43rd Shot: Fate_**

"We're almost there, fellas."

The forest of thorns was indeed coming into view in its spiraling glory as Razekar led Jing and the others, the others including usual black albatross, a very ticked-off princess of Zaza, and a rather beat-up fair-haired fighter who was in an oddly good mood.

Awaiting them right before the twisted thorns was a golden train giving off an unusual haziness. Instead of clumsy metal wheels, it traveled on a light bluish mist, which explained how it was able to move without a track to follow. Ruby designs lined the windows and were engraved all over the train, elaborate swirls that may or may not have held any meaning. Emerald streaks streamed from the huge scarlet gem at the front of the locomotive. The jewel itself was cloaked in sheens of every color imaginable. And just beyond one of the round, rose-tinted windows was a tall feminine figure, head drooped forward slightly…

"Mother!" Stir called out, beginning to dash towards the train.

"Now, now, don't be so hasty child."

The silver-eyed princess froze and her hand shot to the hilt of her sword as a man in golden robes appeared, bearing a wide grin. Jing rushed over to place himself between Stir and the violet-eyed man, his gray eyes narrowing.

"You shall see her soon enough, dear princess," the man continued, not stopping his approach.

"Who are you?!" the platinum-haired warrior snapped, moving forward so she could stand side by side with the Bandit King. "What do you want with my mother?!"

"Oh! How rude of me! My name is Pharos," the golden-robed man answered. "And I am here to take your mother to a much better place, that is all."

"And what's wrong with Zaza?" Stir growled.

"Yeah, seems like a pretty decent place to us."

Everyone reverted their attention to the two fire-hued bandits standing not too far off. Adam had Eve equipped on his right arm and had her pointed at the group, while Lilith stood nearby with her hands on her hips, her hair still a little singed and haywire from Razekar's previous strike. Neither one looked pleased.

"Allright, you pathetic excuses for competition, hand over the necklace before serpent girl here decides to slice you into pepperoni!" hissed the scarlet-eyed girl. "And I don't support lady-napping perverts, so you ain't getting it either, old guy."

"We're sure it'll sell for a good price without your help," added Adam, smirking. "So you better hurry up and decide. Eve's getting awfully impatient."

A red light was forming inside the mechanical snake's mouth.

Razekar and Falcon tensed up and got into fighting positions, but Pharos simply raised his hand and their body eased, though they gave him a curious look.

"Now that's enough," the golden-robed man spoke, appearing at his calmest yet. "This boy has brought me all three treasures, and therefore he will get the reward. If you try to interfere, I can guarantee that my companions will not be pleased."

Then the trio of thieves noticed the large group off at the end of the train, leering at the triad of would-be thief rulers. Many were outside, while quite a few more were peering from inside the mystical vessel. They were fighters of all kinds, of all races, and from all sorts of countries. Among them was an emerald-eyed boy with colorless hair, his whip dripping with green acid. Near the side opposite to his whip was a corgi mutt bent down, its fur standing on end and growling deeply.

The light in Eve's mouth soon fizzled as she and the two other bandits stared at the numerous warriors just waiting for them to make a move.

"I told you this was a bad idea…" the golden serpent hissed, her wide eyes still glued to the myriad fighters.

"Well, I'm glad that's settled," Pharos replied casually, turning his attention back to the necklace-bearing thief. "Now, where were we?"

"Release Madame Dubonnet," Jing ordered, steel eyes focused on the golden-robed man. "Then I will give you the three treasures you've been seeking."

"Oh, I'm afraid I can't do that."

"Oh really?" the raven-haired boy challenged, smirking. "Kir, lend me your wings."

"Gotcha, Jing!"

The black albatross began to glow green before shifting his form and attaching to the necklace-carrier's back. The Bandit King stretched out those magnificent obsidian wings as the transformation completed itself. Shadow-emerald eyes with slitted pupils bore down on the violet-eyed man, who seemed more interested than intimidated.

"You know, I could just fly away anytime I want and never come back," the winged one spoke. "And then these treasures you coveted so much will never be seen again. If you ever plan to lay your hands on these legendary objects, then you must release the queen. I'm sure the princess and the other three could easily decimate your warriors even without my help."

Stir pointed her sword at the gang of fighters.

"Who says I need their help?"

"Who says you can have all the fun?!" Lilith retorted, as she drew her twin blades and Adam aimed his transformed snake at the pack of opponents.

Not far off, a blue-eyed blonde wearing a red baseball cap could be seen coming over the horizon, running at full speed toward the unfolding scene.

The golden-robed man sighed.

"This has gone on far too long. It's time for this game to end."

Slowly he raised his arm above his head before letting his middle finger and thumb abruptly slip away from each other, causing a simple snap that seemed to echo far louder than it should have.

The shadow of the sound had only barely faded away when the crimson gem within the Necklace of Harmonia began to shine with a light of his own. Jing gave a startled look to the sudden illumination.

"What?!"

First a wave of illness rushed over him, causing his body to become achy and somewhat stiff and his head to throb. He thought he might've heard Stir, or perhaps Cassis, but he wasn't sure. His wings flapped uneasily in the air as the usual green glow of his form was overcome by a pale lavender radiance.

_Jing, what's wrong?!_

_**This is…this is like when I got sick on the train…it feels just like that…**_

_But I thought you got cured!_

_**I thought so too…**_

Then came the vines, about a half dozen of them. The seeds of the grapes Jing had collected must've sprouted, for they suddenly snaked out of his pocket and wasted no time binding his arms and legs in their embrace. While the Bandit King struggled against their clutch and beat his yet-unbound wings rapidly, the tips of the vines closed in on the centerpiece and attached themselves to the edges of the gem. Immediately the jewel began to shine yellow, and the pale lavender radiance was conquered by a new golden glow. On the center of the gem a red version of the talisman symbol burned itself onto the surface. Jing felt a sudden stab of pain in his stomach, and an overwhelming heat flowed into his mind.

Everything was becoming distorted, a strengthening haze cloaking his senses. Slowly a confusing cocktail of voices began to swirl in his head, though their words didn't make any sense. Angry voices, kind voices, mocking voices, scared voices, all blended together into a fearful cacophony. As the silent screams continued to get louder, he began to lose all sense of where he was and what he was doing. He heard Kir's faint call, but couldn't make out the words.

He was only vaguely aware of the light of the center jewel beginning to give off a much brighter light, as it metamorphosed its form into that of a meticulously detailed crystalline flower. As it began to pulse with a deep crimson light, the golden glow of his body was swiftly consumed by the same hue of scarlet and began to beat with the jewel flower's heartbeat. With each pulsation the now scarlet-eyed boy felt his some of his vigor being sapped away.

Jing's head drooped forward under the weight of the heat and the noise, and the three sets of thin golden wings that decorated the rim of the necklace-piece suddenly started to grow and expand in size. The two lower sets enclosed around his chest and back, further pinning his arms to his sides, while the largest pair of wings flowed over his shoulders to about midway down his back and suddenly spread themselves outward to mimic the shape of his black wings. Vines quickly climbed up the largest pair golden wings and threw themselves over the dark ones, pulling them hard against the thin metal wings to fasten them in place. Many more vines wrapped themselves tightly around both sets of wings to make sure the obsidian ones would stay in place.

But even though the black wings had been bound, Jing continued to float in mid-air, the power of the transformed gem keeping him aloft. But the black-haired boy was hardly aware of this, or of much else, as he was steadily being levitated over to Pharos.

IIIIIIIII

"JING!"

Stir's silver eyes spun with fear as she began to race to the captured Bandit King.

"Don't go near him!" warned Adam, using Eve's laser breath to fend off lively vines that had once been grape seeds in his backpack before Pharos had given the signal. "These vines will brainwash you real good if you get too close to them. And if that necklace is some kind of amplifier, it'll make those vines and anything else like it that much worse."

After taking care of the remaining plants with a large blasts from the transformed snake, Adam heard a pained yell behind him. Whipping his head around, he saw Lilith enveloped in golden light, doubled over and holding her stomach.

"Lilith!" he cried out, rushing over to her.

"Dammit…" the orange-haired thief hissed under her breath. "I think it's…that stupid talisman I ate before…to get those stupid grapes…must've activated or something like the grapevine seeds did…what the hell…this guy just snaps his fingers…"

"I told you that you were gonna regret it later," stated Eve, though her voice didn't have its usual edge to it.

"Hang in there," the redhead encouraged, helping her get to her feet.

Not far off, a large chunk of the warriors were surrounding a scarred blonde that had been struggling to get to the black-haired thief bound by the vines and golden wings.

"Get outta the way!" Cassis screeched, swinging her bat around wildly to keep the fighters at bay and slowly make progress forward. "Jing! Can you hear me?! JING!"

"Oh, I doubt he's conscious enough to answer you," Pharos stated. Jing's ensnared form was lowered down right behind the golden-robed man, the brilliant crimson light putting him in silhouette. "I normally don't care for being this rough on new arrivals, but you must take every precaution when catching a Bandit King."

He casually stroked one of the black wings with the back of his hand.

"Don't you touch him, you bastard!" the blue-eyed girl screamed, suddenly lunging forward only to be blocked by Razekar.

"Now now, watch your mouth, dear lady," the lanky thief stated, struggling to avoid Cassis's blows without letting her get by.

The girl in the stitched-together jacket glared fiercely at the young man with mismatched eyes as the other warriors gathering around more tightly.

Meanwhile, Stir had almost made it to Jing, knocking away anyone who stood in her way with increasing viciousness, when Dalios and his corgi mutt suddenly jumped into her path. The emerald-eyed boy paid a quick look to the practically unconscious Bandit King and smirked.

"Of course, it makes perfect sense," he spoke, his gaze returning to the platinum-haired warrior. "Let the thief catch himself."

"What do you mean?" Stir growled.

"Well, seems those so-called treasures he was seeking were booby-trapped, set up to go off when Magnus Pharos willed them to," Dalios explained, looking to the Adam and Lilith nearby. "…Looks like we ended up activating the items of a couple other bandits well. Oh well."

The princess yelled as she attempted to skewer the boy, but the red-clad youngster easily evaded the strike.

"Now that I think of it, it was so obvious," the white-haired boy continued. "Three great gods, Aphrodite, Hera, and Athena, were willing to give the mortal Paris anything for a golden apple dedicated to the fairest. When he gave the apple to Aphrodite, she remained loyal to him until the end of his days. She was practically chained to him."

The short youngster summoned his acid-spitting whip and flung some of the hungry poison in Stir's direction. She hastily rolled over of the way. In the background she could hear Cassis's enraged shrieks as she thrashed against the crowd, still calling to Jing.

"And how many people that you've met have been tied down to alcohol? There are some that simply can't live without it. So it's not such a stretch to think that the source of all wine, the grapevine, could easily enrapture people in its delirium-inducing power."

The dark-clad warrior aimed a flurry of slashes at the emerald-eyed boy, and the small youngster weaved through the rapid attacks as best as he could. Small cuts formed across his skin, but there was no serious damage was done. While the warriors were distracted with the others, Adam hurriedly escorted the wobbly Lilith as fast away as possible to a safer area.

"Then there's the Necklace of Harmonia," the red-clad boy added. "The original necklace was a wedding present for a marriage between a goddess and a mortal. So in a way that necklace was a symbol of the goddess's willingness to serve and be bound to the mortal."

He lashed his whip out, wrapping it around the princess's sword. Bits of stray acid ate into various spots in the steel, creating a fizzling steam to appear where they landed. With a strong tug, the blade was sent flying away from the Stir's grasp.

Cassis was flung onto the ground, knocked unconscious by a well-timed electric shock from Razekar.

"Don't you see? They all refer to binding," Dalios concluded, letting his whip rest at his side and bleed a little acid into the parched earth. "Perhaps if this Bandit King paid more attention to the objects' history, maybe he wouldn't have been caught so easily."

She let out a savage snarl as she flung her remaining blade boomerang at the emerald-eyed boy. He casually leapt out of the way. He hadn't anticipated the weapon's swift return, however, and it slashed the top of his right shoulder. Sucking in his breath and dropping his whip, he hastily brought out a cloth to cover the wound. Rolly whimpered at his feet.

Stir gave him a cold smirk as she began to pass the injured Dalios.

She was only able to take a few steps before she felt a sharp pain. Looking down, she saw that the orange puppy had clamped onto her right ankle, growling deeply. It soon released its grip, however, and backed off slightly. Then, opening his mouth wider than it should have been able to, it let out a menacing sound that sounded like a mix between a howl and a hiss. Rolly did this over and over again, leaving its mouth widely extended to show off its two abnormally long canines.

No, not canines. Fangs.

Serpent fangs.

Abruptly her head began to swim and her body began to feel rigid and heavy. As the bite around her ankle began to throb more and more and her vision started to dim, she heard Dalios's voice from what seemed like miles away.

"Don't worry…your precious…will be fine…too much trouble just to…no one will…Neirnyx will see…so go ahead and…be better in the morn-"

Then she heard no more.

IIIIIIII

Jing woke with a start.

For a while his head spun with nonsensical images that had been playing themselves over and over again while he had restlessly drifted through his sleep. As the flashes faded away, he found himself in a soft white bed with golden bedposts. The room he was in was painted a pale blue, but it was hard to see that with all the beautiful landscape paintings burying the walls. Among all the works of art was a single green clock in the shape of a swirl slowly that was slowly spinning around. Its stable clock face read 3:25. Whether it was afternoon or night, however, he had no idea, for the room didn't have a single window.

His hands moved to adjust his orange trenchcoat, only to find no coat to adjust. The black-haired boy scanned the room to see if it had been hung somewhere, but it was nowhere to be found. Setting his gaze on his exposed right arm, he noticed his blade had been taken away as well. Glancing at his left shoulder, he noticed that there was an ugly bite mark that was only somewhat healed, with oddly discolored skin surrounding it. It must've been the bite mark that he had gotten from the dog at the golden apple factory.

Now not only did he need to find his possessions, but he also needed to figure out where he was. The fancy accessories seemed to suggest the princess's home, but he hadn't found any rooms like this when he had visited before…

Then the door crept open. Peeking inside was a pair of silver eyes. Those silver eyes soon brightened when they spotted him sitting up.

"Jing! You're awake!" Stir exclaimed, fully opening the door and stepping inside.

"Yep," the Bandit King replied, stretching a little to get rid of the soreness in his limbs. "That was some nap."

"I'd say," the platinum-haired princess answered with some annoyance. "You slept for three days. You had me worried sick."

"I did?" the black-haired boy asked almost innocently, noting had there were some bandages wrapped around Stir's right ankle. Memories of the previous events before he had lost consciousness slowly seeped back into his mind. "Well, looks like I owe you one. We must've gotten away if we're back at your palace safe and sound. Seems you didn't manage to do it unscathed, though…"

"Um…Jing…" the silver-eyed princess began uneasily.

Just then a certain odd-eyed thief stepped in behind her, leaning against the doorframe with a smile on his face.

"Well, look who's up!" Razekar greeted cheerfully. "Been quite the dewdropper the past few days."

The steel-eyed bandit's gaze narrowed.

"What are you doing here?"

"What am I doing here? This is my home, as well as yours, for that matter," the young man with golden-orange hair responded. "Welcome to the grand palace of Magnus Pharos! You ready for the grand tour?"

_Hehehehe...and that wraps up part one of Gilded Smile. The other parts will be posted on this fic as well, so don't go looking for a new story by me. Please let me know what you think of this chapter in particular, since it's a event-heavy one and I need to make sure it was done right. Let me know what you did/didn't like about the chapter, (besides Jing getting captured, though I DO want to know what you think of that part as well) what you did/didn't see coming, and why, and if a particular character interests you so far._

_Oh, as a quick reference, Razekar's name is pronounced Rah-zay-kahr. I would've put an accent over the 'e', but Word wouldn't let me..._

_**NEXT CHAPTER**: While Jing and Stir might not be willing guests as this palace of Magnus Pharos, they might as well take a look around and get an idea of what kind of person this Pharos is like. The Bandit King still has an orange trenchcoat to find...maybe that talking hole over there knows something about it? And in such a massive place, surely there are people knowledgeable on all kinds of things...and treasures galore. _

_Thanks for sticking with me this far! I appreciate it immensely!_


	16. II: So What Will You Do Now?

_Hiya! The Light's Refrain here with the next chapter!_

_Nothing terribly exciting here, just something of a chill chapter with a lot of details explaining Pharos's palace and other such things. Next time, however, we go straight to the fourth quest. _

_Oh yes, as a quick note, the part where Dalios is talking about Burdensome Guns is purely theory on my own part, NOT anything confirmed by the Jing series. _

_Disclaimer: Do I own King of Bandit Jing? Of course not. _

**44th Shot: The Collector's Paradise**

"What a day…"

"Oh? How so?" asked Postino. He and Cartero were resting at an outpost about thirty miles from Zaza, sipping their water canteens. Their motorcycles were parked nearby.

"Well, you see, I'm an old friend of this bandit couple," the lanky blond explained, adjusting his round goggles. "They're always talking about how they're gonna be better than all the other thieves out there. Well, apparently there was some kind of competition over that kind of thing in Zaza, so of course they participated. They said hundreds of bandits were there, from all kinds of places."

"So I noticed," the leather-clad motorist replied, paying a quick glance back to the mail that had been thankfully recovered with the help of some young friends of his. "I was there for a bit. I heard they were all hired by the same person to find something."

"Wait, you saw them?!"

"It was kinda hard not to."

"I see…" the younger postman replied. "Anyway, then I started headed to Zaza to see how they were doing. But I wasn't even halfway there before I saw them fleeing away as fast as they could. The girl was looking really bad, like she was about to pass out."

"Are you going to tell me their names?" interjected Postino.

"Oh yeah. Adam and Lilith. Sorry about that," Cartero hastily added. "But Lilith was really sick, saying that her stomach hurt real bad cause of something she ate something. So I gave her some stuff to make her throw up, and she ended up spitting out this talisman thing. Adam made sure to stomp it into pieces. I ask her why she would eat a talisman in the first place."

"And what'd she say?" asked the leather-clad postman, filling up his canteen at a nearby water faucet that was sticking out of the ground.

"Well, she said it was something she ate a while back to get these special grapes or something," Cartero responded. "But here's the real bombshell; you see, that whole tournament thing, it was nothing but a trap."

Postino abruptly turned off the faucet, and then he turned his head back while he lifted up his rectangular goggles.

"A trap?"

"Yeah," Cartero continued. "Turns out this guy who was in charge had really been looking for the best bandit so he could capture him. All those treasures that the strongest thief had gathered were rigged to set off and bind him when they were brought together and activated. Not only had that, but the guys working under the guy in charge also captured both the queen and the princess."

"Hmm…"

"Anyway, Adam and Lilith saw the winning thief get captured in a spectacular fashion. They made sure to scram before they got dragged into it, but the talisman in Lilith's stomach got activated before they could get away," the blond stated. "Bit when I went to Zaza later, no one remembered a thing about a horde of thieves being in the city. Sure, there was quite a bit of damage, but they said that was because some fireworks went screwy. And the princess and queen were gone, but the townspeople said that they had just left for a trip two days ago."

Postino's currently revealed eyes narrowed.

"…But that's not right," he pointed out. "Everyone knew about the bandits, and I saw the princess of Zaza there yesterday. I know this because my own bandit friend was hanging out with her. I saw them traveling the streets and rooftops together."

"I knew those two were telling the truth!" exclaimed the taller postman. "I mean, I know bandits aren't that honest, and they've pulled some real good tricks on me before, but they don't joke around if one of them is really hurt or sick. But the people of Zaza seem to have no idea about it…"

"Huh…I'll have to go back and check on that..."

"Yeah, definitely," responded Cartero. "Oh, and there was something else that's been worrying me. They said the guy who got captured was just a kid, a boy with black hair, gray eyes, an orange coat, and had a talking black albatross. I noticed that it sounded a lot like your friend that I met at the bar outside of Bacc, and you _did_ just say he was there…"

"I wouldn't be surprised," the leather-clad man replied, crossing his arms and leaning against a wooden post. "Jing's always been real talented at stealing things, and sometimes that makes him a little too cocky…But tell me, did your friends tell you the name of the guy who was running the competition?"

"I think they said his name was Pharos."

"…Pharos, huh? Yeah, I've heard of him," stated the older postman.

"Really?!"

"Yep. I've even delivered things to him. That palace of his is huge, bigger than some cities I know," continued Postino. "He's a collector to the most extreme. He doesn't just collect a few select items like stamps or gems. He collects anything and everything. Clocks, spoons, paintings, plants, animals, you name it. But what he enjoys collecting the most is people. Smart people, strong people, musical people, royal people, artistic people, sometimes even random people off the street that happen to interest him. I imagine he easily has thousands under him. Holding a contest to get the most talented bandit…that sounds just like him…"

He looked up to the cloudless sky.

"But you know, it's kinda funny," Postino added. "Although I'm sure that my friend wouldn't be too thrilled about being caught, and I'm wouldn't be too thrilled myself, but it just might be the best possible thing that could happen to him."

IIIIIII

For a few moments Jing spoke nothing, his gaze fixed on Razekar. Then he closed his eyes and let a smirk slip onto his face.

"Well, I guess we might as well start," the boy with steel-hued eyes stated, getting out of the feathery bed and walking towards the lanky young man and Stir. "Where's Kir, by the way?"

"Oh, he was having kittens earlier, so we had to shut him up in the animal infirmary for a while," the young man with golden-orange hair explained.

"Oh really?" asked Jing, seeming amused. "How big was the litter?"

"Well, I didn't mean it literally. I mean he was having all kinds of temper tantrums earlier," Razekar clarified.

"I know."

"Oh okay. Just checking. Wouldn't be the first time I confused somebody with my old talk," the odd-eyed bandit continued. "Anyway, most people and animals are pretty temperamental when they first get dragged down here. You seem to be taking it quite well, actually. But who am I to trust a Bandit King?"

"I've been to worse places," the boy with steel-hued eyes replied, before turning to Stir. "So have you been princess?"

"How do you think I've been after being kidnapped and taken to God-knows-where? And my name is not princess," the silver-eyed girl growled. "Hey, what's that on your arm?"

Jing looked down to the higher part of his left shoulder where the somewhat-discolored bite-mark was. He rubbed it a little bit and found it was still slightly sore.

"Oh this? From that orange dog."

"Yeah, it sucks when Rolly gives you a poisonous bite," Razekar stated, signaling for a certain fair-haired fighter down the hall to come over. "Anyway, Falcon here's gonna fetch you your bird friend. Where would you like to go first?"

"Well, I wouldn't mind getting my blade and coat back," responded the obsidian-haired thief.

"To the Wash Room then!" exclaimed the lanky young man, pointing out the way and strolling down the hall. "It's just down here fellas. Falcon, meet us down there, okay?"

"Gotcha!" chirped the cobalt-clad Chesirian, running over in the opposite direction down the hall.

As the platinum-haired princess and the Bandit King followed Razekar, they studied the halls they were walking in. Their feet trampled intricately designed rugs, with unique statues of birds lining the right side and equally one-of-a-kind sculptures of lions on the left side. In between each statue was a door, adorned with only a few large objects to distinguish them from the busy walls surrounding them. For the other sides of the hall, even the ceiling, were crammed with all kinds of decoration, making Jing's previous room look rather bare in comparison. Photos, calendars, lightbulbs, hanging vases with dried flowers resting inside, even such odd items like forks, doorknobs, and bowling pins were attached in some way to any and all possible surfaces, masking the actual walls and ceilings from view.

"You could say that the Big Shot is the worst packrat ever," the lanky thief laughed, noticing the two new arrivals eyeing the myriad objects curiously. "But hey, you gotta give the fella credit for finding uses for all of it. And just wait until you see his real good stuff…"

Only a few moments later they reached a doorway at the end of the hall. It was painted a stark white and lined with pale gold, unlike the dull yellow of the other doors, with three leaf-loaded wreaths lined down the door vertically. And upon being ushered inside, the first thing Jing saw…

Well, the first thing he saw was a beautiful mask made of pearl known as the Vintage Smile being lobbed at his face, which he deftly caught in midair. Meanwhile, the first thing Stir glimpsed, and caught, was a certain violet crazy cat mask with green swirls for eyes and a toothy grin far too wide to possibly be sane. Razekar, meanwhile, was nearly smacked with a half-eaten apple.

The source of the rogue flying objects was apparently a large, misshapen black hole in the middle of the floor. Random items were being tossed out of it as the tour group watched in puzzlement. Many things were scattered about; banana peels, a huge deflated balloon, a crown of small brown skulls, about twenty-four silver and bronze coins, half of a hollow golden object, a statue of a lady shedding ruby tears, a red-and-white snow outfit, an old empty bottle with a cloth tied around it, and various carnival toys, including a giant yellow penguin. And staying near the edge of the hole, despite all the tossed debris, was a certain orange Corgi mutt, wagging his short tail and panting lightly.

Suddenly a voice echoed from the gaping hole.

"_C'mon_, there's gotta be _something_ that'll get me outta here!"

…And it sounded suspiciously like a certain boy with colorless hair.

Razekar strolled over to the talking hole, making sure to dodge objects as they were being thrown out, until he reached the edge of the hole.

"Dal?" he yelled down into the black hole, his voice echoing several times as it traveled down the miniature abyss. "That you down there?"

Items abruptly stopped being spit out of the hole.

"Razekar!" the voice reverberated back, sounding a bit relieved. "Yeah it's me. And don't call me Dal! It's Dalios!"

"Whatever works for you," the young man with golden-orange hair called back. "So, how 'bout you fetch me and our new friends a couple of drinks from the karaoke bar while you're down there?"

"Shut up, Razekar!" Dalios barked from the sightless depths of the small abyss. "I'm not in the bar anyway."

"But the karaoke bar is just underneath this room, ain't it?" questioned the lanky thief, smirking some. "So if there's a hole in the floor here, you'd fall into the bar, wouldn't you?"

"Well, in case you haven't guessed, this ain't your usual hole," growled the boy in the belly of the hole. "I was just sitting on the washing machine waiting for my clothes to get done when suddenly weird sounds start coming out of it. Then the entire washing machine and I ended up falling into this hole that tumbled out of it when I opened the washing machine door to see what all the noise was about."

"Hmm…that ain't so swell," the young man with mismatched eyes replied, holding his chin and looking down into the hole.

Jing was looking over one of the many so-called washing machines in the room, watching the random assortment of clothes inside being rolled and tossed around.

"I'm guessing you put my jacket in one of these," quizzed the boy with dust-hued eyes.

"Yep," responded Razekar. "Boy, that thing needed a wash too."

"I thought so," the Bandit King answered, walking over to where the lanky young man stood. "And it looks like all that rolling and tumbling in this washing machine managed to dislodge that endless hole I had in my pocket."

"You mean this hole here's yours?" questioned Razekar, pointing to the vast black opening in the floor.

"Yep," Jing responded, kneeling down. "Though now it's all stretched out of shape."

"How do you carry an endless hole in your pocket?" Stir asked disbelievingly as she joined the two bandits, crossing her arms and raising an eyebrow.

"Oh, it's pretty simple really," the black-haired boy answered. "Just go out to the edge of sky and space, cut out a piece of nothing for yourself, and fold it up until it fits into your pocket."

Both Stir and Razekar gave the gray-eyed boy a somewhat dumbfounded stare.

"Well, guess they don't call you the Bandit King for nothing," the thief with golden-orange hair remarked, smirking slightly.

"Look, this information is nice and all…" Dalios's voice began, sounding irritated. "…But can you guys just shut up and GET ME OUTTA HERE?!"

"Well, if you're going to be such a brat, maybe we should just leave you in there," suggested the silver-eyed princess.

"Not a bad idea," agreed Razekar.

"WHAT?! N-No, don't do that!" the boy entrenched in darkness pleaded. "T-This place isn't nice at all. It's too dark. I can't see anything. And it's really cold down here…"

"Well, if you put it that way…" the scarred bandit started, turning to Jing. "So, how'll we rescue our dear friend from this predicament?"

"Oh, it shouldn't be a problem," the boy with dust-colored eyes explained, sticking his hand into the blackness. "You just think of what you want and -"

With a strong tug of Jing's arm, out came Dalios, covered in random bits of junk that had also been floating inside of the miniature abyss.

"Bingo!"

"There we go!" exclaimed Razekar, helping the Bandit King pull the emerald-eyed boy out of the rest of the way. Almost immediately Dalios was greeted by a flurry of licks from Rolly.

"Yeah, I'm glad to see you too buddy."

Jing, meanwhile, had just fished his coat out of the black hole, and was now putting the thrown-out items worth saving back into the void with the help of a certain silver-eyed princess.

It was this chaotic clean-up that greeted Falcon and Kir as they entered the room from the door on the other side of the room.

"What happened?" asked Falcon, staring at the scene.

"Well, it seems that the Bandit King's coat is hand-wash only," stated Razekar, getting the last of the mess off Dalios. "And ol' Dal here was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time."

Jing, meanwhile, had placed all his necessary items back into the portable abyss, and was now folding the hole back into its proper size like a piece of laundry.

"Jing!" called Kir, flying over to his partner happily. "How're you feeling?"

"Allright enough, Nice to see you too Kir." replied the Bandit King, as he put on his oversized coat and stuck the reshaped hole into the right pocket. "Well, now that that's out of the way and everyone's here, shall we continue the tour?"

IIIIIIIIIII

"…And here we have the elusive Greater Drake," Razekar spoke, gesturing to a giant lizard colored red with green spots and stripes. It was currently gnawing on a huge bone in an artificial but nonetheless beautiful habitat lying just beyond the glass tunnel the group was passing through.

"I gotta give it to this Pharos guy, he sure knows what to collect," Kir admitted, staring at the arranged environment outside as a purple panther with black-skinned wings slipped from one flowery bush to another. "I mean, look at all this stuff! And I've only been to the west wing of this back so far, even where you were out, Jing."

"What else have you seen here, Kir?" questioned the steel-eyed boy, observing a flock of pink and blue birds passing by the glass tunnel, leaving a stream of yellow sparkles.

"You don't want to get hit by those spores, by the way," the lanky thief serving as a tour guide pointed out casually, referring to the yellow sparkles left behind by the fanciful avians the Bandit King had been watching. "They'll make you more fried to the hat than half a dozen drinks of moonshine."

"…What?" questioned the black albatross, staring at Razekar.

"They make you feel really drunk," the young man with the golden-orange hair clarified.

"But how can you get drunk off of spores?!"

"Well, those spores are often key ingredients for the more potent alcohols out there, so you could say they've been ossifying customers longer than the bartenders have," Razekar replied.

"Whatever…" Kir mumbled, before turning back to the bandit in the blazing coat. "But yeah, they've got everything here! Spas, work-out rooms, sports fields, man-made beaches, even a karaoke bar. It's practically a full-scale city!"

"Huh…"

"…And there's a herd of bearbeasts. You don't want to get near them. Ever. I've got them at home, so I should know," the scarred thief warned, speaking about a couple of towering creatures nearby with long violet fur and wolf-like faces, as well as the hulking bodies of their namesakes and huge fangs and claw hued deep crimson. "Never liked those things one bit. Oh well, snacktime."

His hands searched for a small brown paper bag that had been strapped to his side, but he found no such item.

"Huh? Where'd I put that thing…? I could've sworn…"

Then he heard a crunching and crinkling sound behind him. Turning his head around, he noticed that a certain obsidian-haired boy was crumpling an empty brown bag and tossing it to a nearby beehive-shaped trash can. He held an apple in his free hand, while a silver-eyed princess was nibbling on a chocolate bar and a black albatross was gulping down a blue can of soda.

The young man with mismatched eyes let out a somewhat annoyed sigh.

"You know, I'm only letting you get away with that cause you're new here."

IIIIIII

"And _here's_ the main area."

That was easy to tell. This seemed the ideal place to socialize, with shops, food stands, and sets of tables and chairs scattered everywhere. Also dispersed everywhere were several couches and padded rocking chairs, often grouped together, for anyone who just wanted to relax. There were several exotic plants growing around the area, many of which not even Jing had seen before. This place was under a series of huge domes, one right after the other and filtering in just a little bit of moonlight. Myriad decorations were on these walls and domes as well, but these objects weren't nearly as crowded together as the hallway objects were. The fact that a golden surface cold be seen fairly easily beneath the walls was proof enough.

And then there were the people. There had to be hundreds, if not thousands, passing through, checking out the shops, eating at the tables, or just standing around talking up a storm. Of course, they had crossed many people's paths on their tour, but it was obvious this was the main place to be. The Bandit King saw many legends that he had only heard about in vague rumors or seemingly useless tall tales. Bigfoot was slurping slushies and chattering with Elvis and a few aliens. The creature known as Frankenstein was currently shopping for some new shoes and some broccoli. Dracula was pushing a large cart containing a pool where a baby Loch Ness Monster was splashing and playing.

…And they all seemed perfectly content in this gilded prison.

"So it really is like a city," stated Jing.

"It certainly is impressive," Stir agreed reluctantly, studying the splendor.

"Well good, it's supposed to be," the odd-eyed young man answered, observing everything with a peaceful smile. "Oh, and is the Madame still sulking in her room, princess?"

"Yes, and she certainly isn't coming out for you," the platinum-haired warrior growled.

"Hey, I was ordered to do that," Razekar objected. "She's not really my type anyway. Too stiff and regal."

"Oooh, but I think this girl's my type!" Kir suddenly interrupted, zooming off of Jing's shoulder to go to a nearby table.

A lone woman was lazily popping violet grapes that were nestled in a golden bowl into her delicate mouth. She had long curly locks of a pale yellow hue, going well past her shoulders, and a white dress that was lined with exquisite red and gold embroidery. Her bright green eyes casually wandered over to the rapidly approaching albatross, and her red lips formed a slight smile.

"Hellooooo gorgeous!" called the dark avian, immediately taking her pale hand. "Kir at your service. Tell me, what is your beautiful name?"

The lovely blonde smiled even more.

"Neirnyx."

"Oh, what a wondrous name indeed!" the black albatross exclaimed, covering her arm with rapid smooches.

Stir gave a somewhat annoyed look to Jing.

"Seems your partner is easily distracted."

"Yep."

"…Why must he cross the species line and flirt with people instead of his own kind?" the silver-eyed princess asked dryly.

"Oh, he's not crossing any species line here," Razekar stated, smirking.

Both the obsidian-haired thief and the platinum-haired princess gave the lanky young man a puzzled look.

"Hmm?"

Suddenly the body of the fair lady began to warp in Kir's grasp. The black albatross let out a startled yelp and let go of her arm. And just it time, it seems, for a second later she erupted into bright blue flames.

"W-What the?!" the dark avian stammered, watching as the fire form a sphere around where the blonde had been sitting. Not far behind him, Jing stepped in front of Stir and narrowed his steel eyes. The movement did not go unnoticed by the silver-eyed princess.

"Jing, what is it?"

The flames soon spun off in fiery threads and dissolved away, revealing a scarlet phoenix with a slender figure and emerald eyes. She ran her long rosy beak over the wing that Kir had showered with kisses when she was in human form.

"You're such a sweet little darling."

Kir immediately let out an alarmed screech, while the Bandit King's body tensed up.

"WITCH!!" screamed the dark avian, shooting towards her and pecking at her furiously. "It's the witch! It's the witch! The witch from the cave!"

"Who are you calling a witch?" hissed the ruby-plumed bird, swatting Kir away with her much mightier wing. "I told you, my name is Neirnyx. Weren't you listening earlier?"

"You fellas know her already, huh?" questioned Razekar, looking more annoyed than amused. "And I see you guys get along real well with her already too…"

"Who is this?" asked Stir warily.

The Bandit King said nothing. Instead, he waited for Kir to fly over and land on his right arm, triggering the black albatross's transformation into gun mode. Steel-hued eyes glaring, he aimed the now-metamorphosed Kir at Neirnyx.

"Well that's a fine way to say hello," the emerald-eyed phoenix replied indignantly.

The only response was a bright green light that began to emit from the thieving duo.

"Give me a Kir Royale!"

The instant the blasts shot out of Kir's mouth, Neirnyx summoned a brilliant stream of blue flames from her own throat.

The attacks clashed in midair, the green energy blasts being held in place by the azure fire. People passing by stopped to watch with interest, but not with panic or utter amazement. The green energy steadily grew smaller as it slowly fizzled out. The blazing stream diminished at a slightly slower rate, just enough to exhaust the Kir Royale and make it vanish. After the green energy had faded, Neirnyx silenced her own attack before even an ember could touch Jing or Kir. A few stray cinders trailed around the phoenix's smiling mouth.

The Bandit King's steel-colored eyes narrowed themselves further.

"It'll take more than that to challenge me, Bandit Boy," Neirnyx stated. "A pity really. You've haven't improved as much as I'd hoped since the last three times I saw you."

The black albatross and the obsidian-haired bandit gave her a confused look.

"Huh? But we only met you in that cave!" Kir barked.

"No…I saw her when we were trying to get to the temple of Dionysius, when you had been knocked out," Jing corrected. "But…I don't know of any other time when we've met."

"No, I guess you wouldn't really have been able to know the first time you met me…" the ruby-plumed phoenix admitted.

"Know what?" growled the dark avian.

The phoenix grinned mischievously and glided slightly closer to them. The thieving duo glared apprehensively.

"Wouldn't you like to know, _Mr. Birdie_?" teased Neirnyx, pronouncing the nickname in a loud and singsong tone as she focused her emerald gaze on Kir. "If you or your friend need a health check-up, let me know."

Kir let out a surprised squawk. The Bandit King, however, seemed only mildly surprised by this.

"Well, I was thinking it was bit odd that a medical doctor would be familiar with talismans as well," Jing replied, smirking slightly. "And now that I think of it, Falcon _did_ say something about them being _your _talismans…"

"Yes, quite fascinating, isn't it Bandit Boy?" Neirnyx replied, averting her attention to her untended bowl of fruit. "But if you'll excuse me, I've got grapes to eat, and you've got quite a bit of exploring to do, don't you? But once there's more time, we can talk to our heart's content."

Without another word she flew back over to the bowl and began rapidly gulping down her grapes.

Kir detached from the Bandit King's arm, but both of them still looked hostile.

"Jing?"

"Looks like you're a couple of Neirnyx's newest victims," Razekar stated. "Don't feel like you're the only ones. She loves annoying people. She's strong though, a master of illusions. And she's the Big Shot's number-one companion, so she has her privileges…"

"What?! Why does that Pharos guy like her so much?!" snapped Kir. "She's evil, I tell you, evil!"

"Because she his oldest friend," the odd-eyed thief replied. "She's been with Pharos even before he was rich, and from what I've heard that was a long time ago."

"I see…" Jing answered, still seeming a bit edgy. "Guess that makes sense…"

"Hey, I feel your pain," Razekar assured, beckoning the others to start following him as he continued the tour. "I'm one of those fellas she loves to drive crazy, and she often works me up into a lather. She's the one who caught me too, which doesn't really help either."

"She caught you?" asked Stir.

"Yep," replied the lanky young man. "Two or three years ago I had a decent living as a robber-for-hire back in my old city, doing various burglary jobs for clients who paid enough. Then here comes our favorite phoenix one day and tangles me up in her illusion wires and ends up hypnotizing me in a stupor. Next thing I know, I'm here. Not that this place is shabby or anything; really it's a lot more swell than either the city or the country. But I tend to hold grudges for that kind of thing…"

"So does Neirnyx kidnap most of the people and bring them here?" questioned the platinum-haired princess, looking around at the passing crowds in suspicion.

"Oh no, we all get assigned to collect somebody to other at some point," the bandit with golden-orange hair corrected. "Really, it's rare for Neirnyx or the Big Shot to go after someone themselves. They only do that if they really want somebody. The Big Shot really wanted you fellas, for example. He planned that whole tournament thing for months…though we didn't really learn the details about how it worked until the whole thing was over with. He doesn't like revealing that kind of thing until the operation's through."

"And just how did it work, if you care to tell us?" asked the Bandit King nonchalantly enough.

"Well, there's a buncha chemical compounds and other bushwa involved, but pretty much…" Razekar began, his hand on his chin. "…Okay, when you drank that lavender liquid that was in the golden apples, you got all hyper, right? Well, that hyperness came from your system being sped up by that lavender liquid. By itself it's not really a problem…but then Rolly bit you and inserted that toxin into your bloodstream, which spread through your body faster because of the increased heart-rate. That made it have a stronger effect than usual, and it nailed you pretty hard, didn't it?"

Jing nodded solemnly, thinking back to the time on the train.

"Anyway, after a certain period of time the toxin's effects faded and your system calmed down, and you felt normal again. But both the lavender stuff and the toxin were still in your system, only in a weakened state," the scarred young man continued. "Then, back at the Temple of Dionysius, you figured out that in order to get to the grapevines you had to swallow that talisman you picked up earlier. Right then it worked like a charm, because just enough power was leaked out of the talisman to protect you. Too much power would've caused your stomach to cramp up, your body to glow yellow, and maybe cause you to hallucinate. Kinda ironic, huh?"

"What about the tequila extract he swallowed with it?' asked Kir.

"It wasn't needed, and wouldn't have helped much against the grape's power anyway. Nice try though," the thief with golden-orange hair stated. "But even then, you wouldn't have been affected badly by all that stuff in your system -"

"Until the amplifying powers of the Necklace of Harmonia took place, which greatly boosted the effects of everything had had been put into my system," the bandit with steel-hued eyes interrupted. "The enhanced lavender liquid sped up my system again, which circulated the revived toxin through my bloodstream and caused those symptoms to appear again, only stronger. Then the talisman, now amplified, released a lot more power into my body than I could handle, which resulted in symptoms much like you had described earlier, especially hallucinations."

"Yeah, pretty much," Razekar responded, nodding. "I think the gem also siphoned energy off you too, but that was more a safety measure to make sure you didn't hurt yourself thrashing around trying to get out or in delirium."

"Makes sense," answered the Bandit King. "Pharos didn't want me injured that badly. He just wanted to make sure I was too weak to get away."

"That's how the Big Shot does things," the scarred bandit replied, nodding. "Then once you got here were had to filter all that fun stuff outta your system so you could recover. It was mainly that process and your exhaustion from the illness that kept you out for three days."

"I see."

Stir remained unusually quietly as Jing calmly discussed the details about his capture with Razekar. His steel-hued eyes and slight smirk bore such a cool, casual detachment.

"So," began the Bandit King, still wearing his frosty expression. "I take it that you've helped capture quite a few people yourself."

"Oh sure, quite a few. Sometimes it's just a small part, though, like back at Zaza," the lanky young man stated, stretching. "I was the one who brought Falcon here."

"What did you have to do to him to catch him?" asked the silver-eyed princess.

"Oh nothing fancy. I challenged him and his rabbits to a match, knocked them out, and carried them back to the golden train to take them here."

"But what about his family?" questioned the platinum-haired warrior. "Certainly they would be looking for him."

"Falcon was a drifter when I found him," the lanky thief explained. "Acted a lot differently back then too. He didn't want anyone or anything near him besides his rabbits, and the little fluff-balls weren't too trusting themselves. He didn't even wear blue back then. He wore bright red instead. But it's kinda funny really. I thought he was going to be a pain to tame, but he actually warmed up real fast. Was he that bad off before? I've never asked about his past, so I wouldn't know. I don't like asking about that kind of thing."

"Huh," replied the Bandit King. "Well, I'm guessing you weren't fighting at full strength at Zaza. It seems like everyone I fought with was holding back."

"And you'd be right," the odd-eyed young man replied casually. "There's a fighting area here, though it's a no-kill kind of place. So if you watch a rematch with any of us, or just want to test your fighting skills, then just let us know."

The scarred young man stretched some more.

"It's getting late though. As much of an owl that I am, I've got a mission tomorrow, so I need to hit the sack. I'll let you fellas explore on your own now. If you get lost, just ask anyone nearby for directions. Oh, and here you go."

Razekar tossed Jing a single silver card. The Bandit King's card bore the golden numbers 6-1033.

"What's this?" questioned Kir, eyeing the shiny rectangle with suspicion.

"The key to your room," the lanky thief replied. "The first number tells you what hallway your rooms are located, while the second number is the number that will be on the door of your room. Next to each door will be a slit. Stick the card in, and the door should unlock. Then you're free to customize your room however you wish. Keep the card with you, or else you'll lock yourself out and will have to wait forever for a new card."

"Geez, this place is so complicated," grumbled the black avian. "So, I guess we're in the sixth hall. Where's that at?"

"The palace has four wings: north, south, east, and west. Each holds two halls as well as the usual extras such as zoos or museums. So Hall Six would be the second hall in the south wing."

"I see," replied Jing, studying the card in his hand. "What hall are you in Stir?"

"Both me and my mother are in the third hall," she replied. "I'm in Room 452."

"Well, you fellas have fun," Razekar responded, starting to walk off. "Oh yeah, Jing, me and Dalios have a mission with you in a week. So you can chill until then."

"A week, huh?" the black-haired boy replied, watching the young man with golden-orange hair stroll off. "Well, I suppose while I'm here…"

He stuck his hand into his right pocket and brought out a large green-blue crystal with a woman's face inside it, with a chain necklace attached to the top of the crystal.

"Who's that?" asked the silver-eyed princess, peering over the gray-eyed boy's shoulder.

"It's my mom," he replied, letting her get a better look at the face inside the crystal. "Have you seen anyone that looks like her recently?"

"No," Stir answered, shaking her head. "Why do you ask? Is she missing?"

"She disappeared during a raid me and my mom got caught up in when we were traveling in between neighboring towns," the boy in the blazing coat explained, an unusually solemn tone in his voice. "I've been trying to find her ever since."

"It's the reason he started traveling in the first place," Kir added.

"Oh, I'm sorry," the platinum-haired girl responded quietly.

"Oh, don't worry. I'll find her someday, I know it," the boy with dust-colored eyes replied cheerfully, smiling. "I'll just have to keep looking. And with so many people here from so many different places, certainly someone's seen her."

"Don't tell me we're going to ask every single person here about your mom," Kir moaned, his posture slumping a little.

"Why not?"

"I was afraid of that…"

"Well let me help then," suggested Stir, turning around to adjust the strap that held up her sword sheathe. "I'm sure we can figure out something between- "

But by the time she had turned back around to face Jing and his avian partner, neither one of them was in sight.

"Jing? Jing?" she called, whipping her head around. Then frustration swirled in her eyes as she crossed her arms and let out an angry huff.

"Fine. Be that way."

She tramped off into the crowd.

IIIIIIIII

With a weary sigh, Stir sat herself down at one of the tables at the main area. Sure, she could eat by herself in her room, but all she was having was a banana, and she was hoping to meet with a certain gray-eyed boy before the day was over. If anyone could find a way out of here, it was him. And she wanted to know how his search for his mother was going.

"Hey, you're in my seat."

The silver-eyed princess turned around to see Dalios right behind her, holding his lunch of a peeled orange and various bags of chips.

"Oh well, there's room," he replied to no one, sitting down in the seat across from Stir and opening one of his bags of chips. "So whacha think of your new home?"

"This is not my home," she growled. "And it never will be."

"We'll see what you think after a few months," the white-haired boy answered, smirking. "Usually you royal types get to like the considerable decrease in fame and responsibility you have here. After all, here everybody's famous and everyone shares the work."

Stir raised an eyebrow.

"What do you mean by everyone shares of work?"

"This is a pretty big place, and getting bigger all the time," Dalios explained, examining one of his potato chips before popping it into his mouth. "So when it comes to maintenance, everybody takes turns doing stuff like dusting and laundry."

The red-clad boy smirked at Stir's surprised reaction.

"Yes, even royalty," he continued, his emerald eyes laughing at the somewhat distraught princess. Warrior princess or not, somehow he doubted that she ever had to touch a dirty rag before, or iron her own laundry. "Don't worry, it's not that bad. You won't be the only person mopping the halls. There'll be quite a few others with you. If you're lucky, your precious Bandit King will have the same chores with you."

"…His name is Jing."

"Right, Jing," the red-clad child corrected himself, crumpling up one empty chip bag and opening another. "He nearly gave me a heart attack earlier, suddenly dropping from the ceiling in front of me and hanging upside down like a wannabe vampire or something. Then he showed me this crystal with a lady's face inside it and asks me if I see her before. I say no, and he just disappears from sight like he was never there. That guy is weird."

"So is that dog of yours."

"Rolly's not weird! He's cool!" the somewhat short youngster protested. "Anyway, Jing sure knows how to pick a weapon. Burdensome Guns like Kir are pretty rare specimens too. Must've gone into a fair amount of trouble getting him."

"Burdensome Gun?" the platinum-haired warrior asked, finally picking at the peel of her banana. "What is that?"

"Well, a Burdensome Gun is an animal that has been altered through genetics to be able to take on different battle forms with the help of a master," began Dalios, now munching on strange blue chips that sparkled like stars and were shaped like perfect squares. "They're very hard to make correctly, and they can't breed, hence why they are so rare. Also, they can only bond with one person, so only that one person can use them. Their forms are very malleable, and I'm not just talking about when they attach to their master in some way or other. The way they grow and evolve over time is determined by their master's age, strength of the bond between the master and the Burdensome Gun, and personality, mostly the latter. When Burdensome Guns are young, they often change erratically from transformation to transformation, basic features differing each time for seemingly little reason. That's mostly because they haven't fully synchronized with their master yet. Even in the egg its form is influenced by outside factors, especially by the ones who are around it the most. In fact, just what kind of animal you get depends on its influences as an egg."

"Huh…" Stir responded, suspiciously eyeing the odd purple fruit that had been waiting in the peel of what she thought was an ordinary banana. "So what kind of personality would an albatross represent?"

"Well…there are too many factors involved for me to try to guess off the top of my head," the emerald-eyed boy admitted. "But the general bird types often result from being exposed to many different things in a short period of time. I'd guess that if Jing was carrying a pure egg, then he was probably traveling most of the time."

"That's no surprise," the silver-eyed girl answered, poking at the unknown purple fruit cautiously with her fork. "So, how did Pharos kidnap you anyway?"

"No one kidnapped me. I was born here."

Stir gave him a surprised look.

"You mean people actually raise their kids here?"

"Sure, though there's not too many of them so far," Dalios stated. "There have even been people who have lived their whole lives here, but those were almost never deaths of old age. There'll be more cases of both as time goes on."

"Huh," she replied. "Do you plan to live your whole life here?"

"Well, it is home," the white-haired boy answered. "But I do like to travel a lot. Lack of a language barrier probably helps."

"What do you mean?"

"Oh, I haven't told you yet, have I?" the emerald-eyed boy stated. "You see, I can both speak and understand any language, even animal talk. It's my special talent."

"Really?" questioned Stir, giving up on her lunch and pushing the supposed banana away. "How long have you had this talent?"

"Since forever," Dalios answered, now working on his orange. "It's really handy. Thing is that all the languages sound the same to me, so if I talk to one person in one language, then go talk in another person in another language, I might still be talking in the first language and not even know it unless the other person tells me. It's kinda annoying."

The white-haired boy got up from his seat as he finished the last of the orange.

"Well, I'm gonna go see if Rolly's up yet. He's been sleeping like a log today. Later!"

As Dalios was swallowed into the sea of people, Stir decided that it was time for her to leave as well. She'd just have to meet Jing tomorrow. It sounded like he was busy anyway.

"At least this place is interesting."

IIIIIIIII

"Well, I'd say this was a pretty productive day."

Jing was stretched out across the large bed in his relatively bare room, with his feet resting on the feathery pillows and his head hanging slightly off the end of the bed. He had on the usual dark gray shirt and pants, with his searing orange coat hung up at the nearby coat rack. As he gazed at the golden ceiling, his hand unconsciously stroked the cold steel sheath of the arm blade that was strapped onto the lower part of his right arm.

"Really?" asked Kir, suddenly gliding into his view.

"Yep."

"Didja find a way out?"

"Nope."

"Didja learn anything new about your mom?"

"Nothing so far."

"Have you figured out how we're gonna get revenge on that witch?"

"Not yet."

"Then what do you call progress?!" snapped the black albatross.

"Well, we know quite a bit more about Pharos now, as well as what kind of people live here," the gray-eyed boy explained, putting his hands behind his head. "And now we have a fair idea about the layout of the palace. We didn't wander all those rooms and halls lost for hours just for the sake of being lost."

"Well, I guess that counts," the dark avian replied, floating out of Jing's vision. "So what are we gonna do now?"

"We'll unpack of course," the Bandit King answered, swinging off the bed and going over to get his coat.

"What?! You aren't serious are you?!" Kir exclaimed, rushing over to the black-haired boy that was carrying his coat over to the bed. "We're supposed to be busting outta here, not settling down in this packrat's paradise!"

"There's no reason trying to escape now," Jing stated, sticking his hand into the right-hand pocket and pulling out the pearl mask Vintage Smile. "That's what expected of us. Considering the number of people that are being kept here, there must be strong security in this place. So, until we learn more details about the palace, we might as well make ourselves at home."

"If you say so…" the dark albatross spoke grudgingly, pulling out some carnival toys from Phrenetikos from the jacket pocket. "So, where do you want these?"

"The shelf on the far corner is fine," replied the Bandit King, not even looking in Kir's direction as he set the priceless pearl mask from Zaza on the hook right above his bed, adjusting it as he saw fit. "Besides, this place looks like it could be fun."

_Allright, so now you have an idea of what the palace is like, which is necessary since we'll be revisting it briefly between quests. Is there anything else you would like to know or see about the palace? If I can do so without messing the plot up, I could include it in the next in-between. Heh, and the bit about the endless hole in Jing's pocket is my explanation to how our Bandit King can manage to pull random stuff outta nowhere from time to time XP. And I think I'm finally getting the hang of Stir...which, considering my plans, is definately a good thing._

**NEXT CHAPTER**_: Jing and his assigned group have been sent on a mission to catch a legendary bird known as the Roc. But what they search for and what they find are two completely different things...and the people who live here seem to possess a vision dissimilar to theirs..._

_It amy be a while before I post the next chapter, as I want to type it up and sent it to my sister/editor/advisor before I actually post it._

_Cya! _


	17. Birds of a Feather Only Share Feathers

_Hiya! Sorry for the delay. There were quite a few kinks to work out for this chapter. The entire quest is written in rough draft now, however, so if all goes well you won't have to wait as long for the next chapter. _

_The fourth quest begins this chapter, as you probably already know, and it seems it'll be unusually short. This and the chapter after it will be more than enough to finish it off. This is the first part, which more or less sets things up for the second half. Nothing terribly exciting, as the battles are next time, just mostly info and banter. Enjoy!_

_Disclaimer: I don't own King of Bandit Jing, just the Jing anime series thinpack and all but Twilight Tale Four of the manga. I do own Idola, the Allmighty Guardian, Hope, and some random priests and common folk. Oh, and some yappity puppy dogs upstairs. _

_And so things carry on in the world of Jing..._

**45th Shot: The Legend and the Truth**

"So what are we here for anyway?" asked Kir, as he and Jing, as well as Dalios and Razekar, stepped off the mystical gold-and-crimson train. It was much like the one that had been seen when the Bandit King had arrived to deliver the three treasures and rescue the queen. They were Pharos's personal transportation vehicles, as their gliding ability let them go anywhere and their speed let them get there fast. As soon as everyone in the assigned group got off, the train began to leave.

"We're looking for the legendary bird known as the Roc," Razekar answered, stretching a little to loosen up his muscles from the ride.

"The Rock?" questioned the black avian, lifting an eyebrow. "Is it like a flying statue or something?"

"It's R-O-C, not R-O-C-K," explained Dalios, as he watched Rolly sniff around the new area. "A magnificent white bird said to be able to eclipse the sun with its enormous wings. They're an ancient breed, with only a few of the species left. Apparently one of them has been watching over a village not far from here."

"What's the village called?" asked Jing, kicking over a few rocks.

"Idola."

"Boy, sounds like loads of fun," Kir replied, rolling his eyes. "But anyway, if this Roc bird is so big that it can block out the sun, where's Pharos gonna put it? I mean, he's already got so much stuff!"

"Oh, he'll find room," Razekar assured. "He's always able to find room."

"So how are we gonna catch this legend?" questioned Jing, as the group began to walk down the rural path down to the valley below, where Idola waited.

"Well, first we're going to wait for the Roc to make its weekly appearance, which should be this afternoon or this evening," the odd-eyed thief responded. "Then we'll use drugged food as a lure, the amount of food and sleeping drug depending on the actual size and temperament of the bird. If it resists, we'll have to beat it down some, but not too much. The Big Shot likes his prizes to be in prime condition."

"Oh yeah, me and Jing and the princess were in _such _great shape when we arrived at Pharos's place," growled the black albatross.

"Well, we didn't have much of a choice with you guys," Dalios stated, trying not to trip over his overly-hyper corgi pup as he bounced around his legs. "This Roc won't be nearly as hard to catch as you and Jing, that I'm sure. Not that it won't be a pain in the butt…"

"Hey, what do you expect from a legendary bird?" remarked Razekar. "If it was duck soup to catch, then it wouldn't be very legendary, now would it? Although we did get some pretty potent stuff to knock it out with…you said it was enough to take down a dragon, right Dal?"

"Yeah," the emerald-eyed boy replied, looking back at the lanky young man. "It's more of a precautionary thing than anything else though."

"But how are we gonna move it?" questioned Kir, who was now perched on the black-haired boy's shoulder. "I mean, it's not like we can carry it down the mountain on our backs…"

"Magnum Pharos already has an airship specially designed to pick it up," the red-clad boy explained. "Our job is to subdue it so the ship can get it on board without the bird wrecking it. All we have to do is give them a call and they'll be here in no -"

Dalios's sentence was abruptly cut off as he fell over Rolly and landed face-first into the dirt path. The orange pup happily ran around him in a circle and yapped at him as the white-haired boy tried to wipe the yellow dust off his face. Whatever the red-clad child mumbled to himself was too low for anyone else to hear.

"You okay, Dal?" asked Razekar, chuckling some as he went over to his companion.

Kir, meanwhile, leaned over to Jing's ear.

"Do we really hafta do this?"

"Why not?" the Bandit King answered more calmly, but just as quietly.

"We're helping the guy who kidnapped us help kidnap something else, and you ask why not?!"

"It's best we just play along for now, Kir."

"But I bet we could ditch these losers anytime we want and get outta here."

"And leave all those treasures in the collector's hands? Really now, Kir. Besides, don't we have some damsels waiting for us back there? Don't you want to be their hero, Kir?"

"Well-"

"Hey, what's that?" Razekar piped up suddenly, as Dalios was just finishing dusting himself off. The child with colorless hair, as well as the thieving duo, looked further down the dusty pathway.

Two rows of people, dressed in deep blues and wearing hoods resembling the upper half of a bird head, were slowly walking up the pale yellow road. They swayed their feather-covered wooden staffs from side to side slowly. In the middle of the two rows of people was a girl with auburn hair, clad in a pale blue robe with a headdress of white down going well past her back. A simple string bearing a single large white feather was set around her neck. The lower part of her face was cloaked in a white veil.

Razekar and Kir instantly perked up at the sight of the robed girl.

"Well, take a look at that dame," the thief with golden-orange hair remarked, putting his hand over his eyes to keep the sun out of his eyes and get a better view.

"Woo, what a lady!" the dark bird chimed in, flying over to where the lanky young man stood.

"So it's a girl. So what?" the emerald-eyed boy groaned, picking up Rolly before the mutt could run off and cause too much trouble. "It's not like there's a shortage of them out there…"

Razekar shot him a mischievous glance.

"It's not the kind of thing a ten-year-old would understand," he smirked. "It'll make sense when you're older."

"Yeah, right now you're just scared of their cooties, aren't you?" Kir teased.

"N-No way! Girls are just…annoying, that's all…"

"Well, since you all are so eager to meet her, why don't we go say hello?" Jing offered, walking down toward the girl and the two rows of staff-carrying men.

The assembly stiffly halted as the gray-eyed boy and the others approached.

"Hello there," the raven-haired boy called out.

The robed men boxed themselves around the veiled lady.

"Who are you?" barked one of the men.

"Oh, we're just your usual tourists," Jing replied calmly. "So, may I ask where you are going all dressed up like this?"

"We're the high priests of Idola, and we're going to greet the Almighty Guardian, who will be coming down this way soon," spoke another, friendlier man. "As long as you bear no ill will, you will have nothing to fear."

"Hmm?" responded Dalios, looking puzzled. "But I thought the Roc lived on the _other_ side of the mountain valley."

"Do not call it the Roc!" the first priest snapped. "Its name is the Almighty Guardian, not that barbaric name that the borderlands slapped upon it!"

"Uh…okay…" the red-clad boy replied, looking slightly intimidated and slightly annoyed at the same time. "Anyway, we were told that the Almighty Guardian lived on the Northern point, not the Southern point."

"Well, it did, but the Almighty Guardian has now moved to the Southern Point," the second priest explained. "There's nothing that binds the Almighty Guardian to one place."

"Well, the Almighty Guardian seems to be the big shot around here, so that makes sense," Razekar replied. "So, may I ask for the lady's name?"

"Oh, that is quite allright. This is-" the second priest began.

"Please," interrupted the auburn-haired girl, carefully stepping through the human barrier surrounding her. "I can speak for myself."

"Y-Yes of course!" stammered the second priest.

"Thank you," she replied. "I am Hope, the high priestess most honored by the Almighty Guardian, as shown by the feather around my neck and the headdress that I wear. It is I who has the strongest connection to the Almighty Guardian, and therefore it is necessary that I be among the first the Almighty Guardian is to see when he comes on his destined visit."

"Let me guess," Kir began. "The Almighty Guardian chose you because of your unsurpassed beauty. Why, you're the most beautiful lady I've ever laid eyes on!"

"He says that to every girl he sees, doesn't he?" the white-haired boy whispered to Jing.

"Pretty much, yeah," the Bandit King replied.

"I am unaware of why the Almighty Guardian favors me," Hope admitted, her fair skin now slightly pink around the cheeks and her ocean blue eyes looking to the side. "But I thank you for the compliment nonetheless."

"Hey, the pleasure's all mine!" the dark albatross replied.

Razekar casually walked over to the black avian and yanked him back.

"Hey! Whaddaya think you're doing?!" Kir protested

The lanky thief turned around with Kir in hand, and walked past the back of the group. Jing watched with steel-hued eyes.

"You, my friend…" Razekar began in a quiet voice. "…have no tact whatsoever. Unless you want to be on those male priests's blacklist, I recommend that you save your lines for later."

As the two lady-seekers had a hushed debate over the best times to seduce females, Jing's steel eyes melted into the usual gray and he let out a low chuckle.

"So, what are your names?" asked the high priestess.

"Jing."

"I'm Dalios," stated the emerald-eyed boy. "The morons arguing back there are Kir and Razekar."

The two womanizers abruptly stopped their hissing argument and blankly looked at Dalios.

"Huh?"

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Hope replied, bowing slightly.

"High priestess, the Almighty Guardian comes!"

The veiled lady, as well as the rest of the priests surrounding her, immediately snapped to attention. Jing and the other followed their intent gazes, and found their eyes resting upon the Almighty Guardian itself.

It stood there silently. The eyes were colored like rubies, and the feathers gleamed an iridescent white. Its glorious body was at least ten feet in height, and most likely more, with wings of equal size. The golden beak was open, as if about to speak.

But it did not speak, for it could not speak. And it could not speak because it was merely a skin.

This skin was draped over another large creature, a mammal. What could be seen of it through the various holes in the skin was covered in light gray fur. The edges of the body and wings of the avian pelt were dragged over the ground, making the otherwise white skin a dull brown. A long, furry tail was at the end, and two lengthy ears covered in long hairs hung down from the holes in the pelt's head. Through the open beak a large snout stuck out, bearing an odd smile. The whole creature, bird skin and all, had a white mist billowing off of it, and crystals were formed along the tips of the feathers and fur.

It took a few steps forward, slowly, frost forming around the paw-prints and giving the sporadic patches of grass a white and almost glassy sheen.

All at once the priests and the priestess kneeled down.

"You grace us, O Almighty Guardian, with your coming," spoke Hope, the only one directly looking at the creature. The priests had set their humble sights upon the ground on which it walked. Of course, Jing and the others were also gazing upon the creature without wavering, and hadn't even lowered themselves to the ground. When the Almighty Guardian noticed this, it looked displeased.

One of the priests, most likely the first that had spoken to them, rapped Jing and the others hard on the back with his staff, signaling them to kneel down as well.

The pack of travelers let themselves sink down to the dirt road, though they were giving each other skeptical looks.

Once again the Almighty Guardian gave a mammalian smile, and began to move past them at a steadily slow pace, towards the group of holy humans. Here the creature stopped, sitting down right in front of them.

"How has your mood been?" asked the priestess.

The Almighty Guardian lowered its head and leaned slightly forward.

"Good."

The voice of the Almighty Guardian was fairly muted, but it didn't sound deep or godly at all. If anything, it sounded like the voice of a child, a young boy.

"We are most pleased to hear that, O Almighty Guardian," Hope replied with a joyful smile on her face.

The creature looked up to the cloudless sky, though its eyes were masked behind the sightless eyes of the avian skin.

"Fortune will be very good today. There should be lots of food and water, and the weather will have no bad rains."

"Oh, that is wonderful!" responded the auburn-haired priestess cheerfully, clasping her hands and bowing her head. "Do you need more offerings?"

"I would like some more fruit at the coming meeting," replied the pelt-bearing mammal. "But none will be needed today."

"We understand," answered Hope, giving a small nod and a smile.

"I will go to the village now," spoke the Almighty Guardian, starting to walk past the gathering of holy worshippers.

"May our visitors come as well?" asked Hope. "They do not look or act like they are from the neighboring lands."

The gray-hued creature paused and then turned his head to the travelers nearby, still kneeling somewhat awkwardly on the dirt path and keeping their gazes to the ground and low-lying mists.

"Yes."

"Thank you, Almighty Guardian," the veiled girl answered. She turned to Jing and the others.

"The Almighty Guardian has allowed you into our village. You may rise now and follow us."

Silently the ragtag pack rose to their feet and took their place in line as they all descended the mountain.

**46th Shot: Worshipping the Frost**

It didn't take long for the village of Idola to come into view. A modest-looking place, it only had a small collection of wooden homes with a white-brick temple built at the center. Lush forest surrounded it on all sides, crowding the village into the middle of the valley. Various birds weaved their nests on top of the rooftops, chimneys, and windowsills of the houses.

All the people were waiting below. Men, women, children, young and old, healthy and crippled, rich and poor, were all united at the entrance of Idola, waiting ever eagerly for the coming of the godly one.

The Almighty Guardian took his place on top of an especially overhanging rock, standing proudly as he gazed upon the village.

The crowd below murmured and twitched in excitement as the avian-cloaked one was seen. The Almighty Guardian sat down on his perch and smiled. Lowering his large head, he let Hope climb onto his back and make herself comfortable.

As the crowd stilled and quieted, the gray creature leapt down from the cliff. As the Almighty Guardian gracefully descended, the wings of the skin were lifted up by the air and appeared to be open in flight.

The crowd immediately parted as the great beast landed right in front of them, allowing him and the high priestess to amble by them. The fervently spoke of their gratefulness and the grand fortune they must possess to be watched over by such a magnificent being. The Almighty Guardian merely smiled and nodded in return.

The children played near his great gray paws, following him closely and laughing. The older people also trailed him, though not as close.

Up on the cliff where the avian-cloaked creature had stood, the remaining male priests and the travelers looked down upon the sight.

"Will you come with us to the village?" asked one of the priests.

"In a little bit," replied Jing. "Feel free to go ahead."

"I understand," replied the priest, as he and others hurried down the mountain.

As the holy gathering vanished from sight, the gathering under Pharos turned to each other.

"I dunno about you fellas, but that sure didn't look like a Roc to me," stated Razekar, thumbing back to the village where the gray creature was now.

"Definitely not," stated Dalios, setting Rolly down so he could run around. "It may have been wearing the skin of a Roc, but there's no way anyone would be stupid enough to mistake _that_ for the actual bird."

"Perhaps the information was misleading?" the boy in the blazing coat offered. "After all, there's no Roc there, it seems, but there _is _a creature wearing Roc skin."

"Magnum Pharos always checks these kinds of things before he sends us somewhere," the white-haired boy objected. "In fact, he sent Neirnyx was here only a few months ago to confirm it. She said it was a Roc if she ever saw one. And Neirnyx isn't one to be fooled…"

"Though she is one to trick and lie," countered the steel-eyed boy.

"Not to Pharos she doesn't."

"Yeah, she has utter loyalty to him, if no one else," Razekar agreed, crossing his arms. "Anyway, I didn't recognize the creature that was wearing the Roc skin, and I've seen a fair amount of things myself. What about you, Dal? You're the expert on this sort of thing. Do you know what it is?"

"No I don't," the emerald-eyed admitted, shaking his head. 'That's one thing that bothering me. Out of all the animal books I've read, I've never seen a creature like that. Then again, most of its body _was_ covered by the Roc skin."

"Well, if that's so, then perhaps it's even rarer than the Roc itself," offered the lanky young man. "Either way, if it's not already in one of the Big Shot's zoos, he'll probably want it."

"So I guessed our target's changed," the Bandit King stated, smirking. "Let's see if we can catch ourselves a god, shall we?"

"Sounds good to me," Razekar answered, looking down to the village of Idola from the top of the cliff. "So let's go join the festivities, fellas."

IIIIIIIIII

The Almighty Guardian had already gone halfway through the town. Joyful songs danced within the crisp air. All kinds of colorful banners cocooned the houses and shops, imprinted by the simple white silhouette of a great bird with outstretched wings and an open beak. Confetti snowed upon the wide street that the Almighty Guardian walked on, the only paved street in town. Hope smiled and waved to the people below, causing them to cheer all the more.

When the bleached mist of the gray creature caressed a banner or a simple piece of confetti, it would instantly freeze. With the increased burden of the frost, the pieces of paper would then fall down and shatter. The fragments would then further break under any noise, even the mild echo of footsteps approaching them, so that by the time anyone got near them all they would find would be icy dust.

One of the few that took note of this was a visitor to the town, a blue-eyed blonde that bore some burn scars on the left side of her face and the back of her hands. She knelt down and picked up some of the frosted remains of a particularly large banner and studied it in her hand. It was cold in her cupped hands, which was hardly a surprise, but oddly enough not even her warmth seemed to be able to melt the ice crystals that encased the tiny pieces of paper within. After her hands became to feel somewhat numb from the lack of heat, she poured the frozen dust back on the ground and rubbed her hands together in an attempt to warm them up.

Then she spotted from across the street a certain gray-eyed boy in a blazing coat, curiously examining some of the frosted destruction himself. Her heart began to pound in her ears.

_No way. It couldn't be. Did he…?_

"Jing!" she called out, waving to him.

The boy paused, turned his gaze to the blonde, and smiled in return.

"Hey Cassis."

"Hey Cassis?" the blue-eyed girl replied almost with annoyance, crossing over the now-vacant street. "Last time I saw you Pharos had you bound up like a cattle for slaughter and all you have to say to me is _Hey Cassis?_ How about telling me how you escaped this time, Mr. Bandit King?"

"Well…I'm not out of the woods yet, so to speak," Jing corrected, thumbing over to where Dalios and Razekar stood not far off, talking with some locals. Kir, meanwhile, was being chased around by an angry house-woman with a frying pan, who was shouting something about how he had broken some sacred something-or-other.

Cassis's gaze hardened.

"I see," she stated, looking back at him. "Need any help losing your bodyguards?"

"Heh, I don't think I should lose them just yet."

The baseball cap-wearing girl gave him a surprised glance.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that I'm not ready to break away just yet," replied the Bandit King. "From what I've seen, Pharos's palace is a very interesting place, and holds more than a few fantastic treasures. I'd like to explore it a bit more and see what other treasures I can find…"

"You moron! You have to break free fast or you'll never get out!" hissed the blonde.

"Oh don't worry, I'll get out when I'm ready. Along with anyone else who cares to join me."

"Don't you get it?!" Cassis snapped. "Pharos brainwashes people. That's how he gets such loyal servants. If you can't break out of his grasp soon, he'll put you under his spell and then any will you have he'll twist around as he sees fit. Jing, forget about any treasures he has! I know he must have a gazillion of them. By the time you've seen them and decided which ones you want the most you'll already be another one of his puppets. Don't be stupid! Just get out while you still can!"

Jing was silent for the moment, his eyes closed.

"…You certainly seem to know a lot about this Pharos," he stated, reopening his steel-hued eyes. "I'm guessing that time at Zaza wasn't the first time you've encountered him, was it?"

Cassis glared briefly at Jing, and then diverted her blazing glance to the side.

"No it's not," she answered. "That bastard, he- "

"Jing!" shouted Dalios from afar, motioning him to come over. "C'mon, you can flirt with girls later! It's bad enough trying to keep an eye on your bird and Razekar. We've got work to do!"

"Allright," he called back, before turning back to the blue-eyed blonde in front of him. "I appreciate the warning, but I have unfinished business there besides the treasures. But don't you worry, me and Kir can take care of ourselves just fine."

"Yeah, just like back at Zaza," she growled.

"Now certainly you have more faith in the Bandit King than that," teased the raven-haired boy, rubbing her long hair some with his hand.

"Only a fool would trust the words of a thief."

"True," responded the boy with gray eyes. "Perhaps this will be better."

Brushing her bangs aside, he laid a light kiss on her forehead.

"Will that do?"

Cassis's normally fair face was currently bright red.

"I guess so," he said to himself, smiling. "Well, see you later!"

The blue-eyed girl had just begun to regain her senses as Jing ran off.

"J-Jing! Wait!" she called after him, before she heard some snickering and excited whispering behind her.

Turning around, she noticed that her trio of three assistant boys were peeking out of the alleyway nearby, looking most amused and pleased indeed.

Now the blonde's face went from bright red to deep scarlet.

"And what are you looking at?!" she suddenly bellowed, taking out her baseball bat and twirling it above her head threateningly.

The triad of teens panicked and hurriedly fled from their hotly pursuing leader.

**47th Shot: Hollow White**

The Almighty Guardian had now reached the end of the small village, and Hope announced the good fortune that awaited them all in the coming week. Happy shouts and murmurs reverberated from the crowd as the auburn-haired priestess descended from the kneeling creature. Then the great beast gave a final glance to the crowd before leaping back into the forest, into the outside, gray and white vanishing into black.

As the cheerful crowd dispersed and chattered about what they had to look forward to while they began to take down the banners, the veiled lady quietly slipped away towards the pristine building that towered above all the other houses.

Nearby stood the pack under Pharos.

"So what will we do now?" asked Kir.

"Hard to say," Dalios answered, crossing his arms and glaring at the frosted grass as if it was holding back important information from him. "There's not really anything we can do right now. It'd be too suspicious if we just went after his holiness right now."

"Well, we can always visit that ritzy place over there," Razekar suggested, fingering towards the sacred white building. "Maybe we could learn a few things about our friend while we're there."

"Whatever, you just want to see that priestess girl again," growled the red-clad boy, leering at the thief that had a scar over one of his mismatched eyes.

"Well, that'd be nice too."

"Yeah…" chimed in Kir, floating over to the lanky young man.

"Ah, what does an old bird like you know about women?" questioned Razekar, pushing the albatross away casually.

"Who're calling an old bird?!" exclaimed the dark avian. "I've only been around for five years."

"My, my, five years old and already lusting over girls," stated the thief with golden-orange hair, shaking his head and clicking his tongue. "And to think, you're even younger than Dal…"

"I don't have a mentality of one of you human five-year-olds!" Kir spat back. "In your mentality years, I'm more like thirty or fifty."

"So you _are_ a crusty ol' lounge lizard."

"Will you make up your mind?!" snapped Kir.

"Well, I guess we might as well go," Dalios grumbled. "We don't have anything else to do, and you guys would probably sneak off there anyway…"

"Sounds good," Jing replied, starting to walk toward the holy building.

"I knew you'd understand, Jing!" the black albatross cheered, flying over to his partner.

"…Don't tell I'm the only one immune to girls around here…" Dalios muttered to himself as he followed the rest of the group to the sacred temple.

IIIIIIIIII

She knelt down alone in the vast chamber, her auburn hair kissing her clasped hands as her eyes remained closed. No sound dared to disrupt the pristine figure in her revered silence.

The entire chamber was devoid of color, white being considered the hue of no corruption. Windows, slits in the wall reaching from the ceiling to the floor, had milky swirls inside them that made them look almost opaque. The curtains that hung at their edges were like fine mist compressed into a silky cloth form. Carvings of a magnificent bird and the extraordinary tale about how it had saved the village time and time again adorned the colorless walls in pictures, occasionally accompanied with some forgotten text. The white marble floor reflected the shining crystal ceiling so well that it seemed like it too was refracting the sunlight into its purest form.

Before her was a huge sculpture of the great avian itself, its mighty wings fully extended to outstanding length and its beak opened widely in a frozen victory cry. Below its feet were fallen bodies, who must have been the enemy, who had been victims of the protector's wrath.

Hope opened her eyes and looked up to the grand statue, but something inside her gaze stirred restlessly.

"Hello there!"

The priestess jumped at the voice that practically stormed in on the absolute quiet. Spinning her head around, she saw the group of travelers from before.

"How did you get in here?" she asked.

"Well, the doors didn't have any locks on them, and there weren't any guards, so we just let ourselves in," Jing replied, shrugging a little. "In fact, this place doesn't seem to have much security of any kind. Is the Almighty Guardian's power that strong?"

"Of course it is!" Hope snapped. "Even since history was written here, the Almighty Guardian has watched over Idola. He had never failed us, and never will!"

There was a brief silence.

"Hey, can I ask you something?" Dalios began, kneeling down briefly to pet his orange Corgi mutt before standing back up. "Last time I checked the rumors, your Almighty Guardian was a bird, and in here these carvings clearly show a bird. But what we saw earlier was no bird. Why is that?"

"What are you talking about? The Almighty Guardian is a bird!" the auburn-haired priestess hissed. "It is the most magnificent bird ever to be seen! How could you even say such a thing?!"

Well, it sure doesn't look- " the emerald-eyed boy began before Razekar held up his hand to signal him to be silent. He became quiet, but shot the lanky thief with a somewhat annoyed glance.

"Now let's not jump to conclusions, Dal," the young man with mismatched eyes commented casually. "Now to be honest, my lady, the Almighty Guardian does look different to our eyes, but perhaps that's because we're outsiders, and only the people it serves can witness its true form. Do you think this is the case, my lady?"

Hope started to reply in protest, but she only emitted a soft sound before abruptly closing her mouth. Instead, she merely looked to the side sadly.

"My lady?"

"…It's not you."

"Whaddaya mean?" Kir asked bluntly, flying over to the holy priestess.

Razekar swiftly yanked on the black avian's leg and tossed him back to Jing, who deftly caught his partner. The dark bird glared at the bandit with golden-orange hair.

The auburn-haired girl let her eyes slide down all the way to the gleaming white floor.

"It's true…the creature you saw on the mountain is not the legendary Roc you seek, though it wears its pelt," Hope began slowly, wringing part of her finely laced dress. "In fact, the Almighty Guardian, the true Almighty Guardian, has been dead for quite some time now."

"So why are you worshipping this creature instead, if it's not really your Almighty Guardian?" questioned Jing, studying one of the more intricate carved pictures on the wall. It showed a line of ordinary people humbly walking towards the giant avian, ropes tied to their hands and waists.

"Because it's all we have!" exclaimed Hope, her cry echoing in the vast room. "Idola has always been poor and primitive compared to the neighboring countries, countries eager to push us aside so they can ruin our lands in wars over it. The only reason we ever survived is because the Almighty Guardian has always been there to beat them back, to scare them away if only for a little while. But now our only savior, our only shield has fallen. Do you have any idea what would happen if those other countries found out how vulnerable we are?! Do you realize that the Almighty Guardian was the only thing that gave this village hope?!"

No one answered.

"…Perhaps this new creature can guard us, but it doesn't possess nearly enough power to fend off the other countries like the Almighty Guardian did," she continued, keeping her gaze on the floor. "If we let the illusion slip, tell the others in Idola that there is no god protecting us any more, then we might as well sentence everyone to death. So we say that this is indeed the Almighty Guardian, and that we must honor him as always. The villagers know better, I know they do, but they cling to our words of reassurance that this creature is the same. But in the end it will never be true. But we have to keep pretending, because it's the only way we can keep ourselves together without losing faith."

She looked to Jing and the others and gave them a small, joyless smile.

"But I suppose I seem so weak and childish to you travelers, you who are brave enough to venture to outside lands. Everyone here is too afraid to do that. Since anyone can remember we've been surrounded on all sides by hostile intentions. If we ever did get enough courage to cross we would most likely be shot down the moment we'd rest our foot on foreign soil. And even if we did somehow make it through the home of our enemies, what then? What do you think other countries will think of our plain and primitive ways and our religion that hangs by mere threads? They would laugh at us, that's what would happen. Laugh at what we call precious because it's so common or foolish to them. Few of us have much real education, so we'd most likely end up with the lowest of jobs, or become servants to earn our bread. We'd be mocked all the time we're doing such menial tasks, being stared and pointed at like some caged bird with only one wing. So don't just tell us to leave our village with reckless abandon, because just where are we supposed to go?!"

Her last cry loudly ricocheted of the walls of the massive white area, taking a slow and painfully long time to fade away.

As the fragment of sound dissolved, Jing began to walk towards the fallen priestess.

"Come now, I'm sure it's not as bad as that."

Hope looked up warily.

"The world's not a perfect place, of course," the boy with dust-hue eyes continued, kneeling down to her level. "If people could just lock themselves in their secure houses all day, many people would do so. And yet most people venture out to endure the outside world, despite its dangers. Do you know why that is? It's because there are lots of opportunities out there, those you won't find hiding away in your house. The world is full of unpleasant things, but there are just as many enjoyable things there as well, as long as you keep your eyes open. And just as there are bad people out there who would like to swindle or hurt you, there are also good people who can heal your wounds and help you get through the day. Inside your mountainous cradle you may consider yourself the safest, but it also cuts you off from anyone who's willing to help as the storm grows around you."

The auburn-haired priestess remained silent.

"Is that what you want, for everyone to die in their cradle?"

Hope remained silent for a while, her eyes closed.

"No, I do not."

The white-veiled priestess slowly rose to her feet, straightening out her crumpled dress as she did so.

"I've…known it all along, really. We can't stay here much longer," the auburn-haired girl stated, just a slight smile creeping onto her face. "I've just been running from the inevitable, or maybe even just looking for pity. But that's not going to solve anyone's problems, and I know it. It's time for me to stop being a coward and start facing the dangers threatening me and my people. I need to start acting like priestess I am instead of the little girl I have been."

The boy in the blazing coat also rose to his feet.

"It's allright to be scared," he reassured. "But the important thing is being able to stand up to those fears."

Hope smiled.

"Yes, I'm ready to face those fears," the blue-eyed priestess agreed, suddenly looking serious. "But I'm not so sure for the rest of the village. They may put a lot of faith in me, but I'm not sure they're willing to leave their homeland. And even if they are willing, will our new guardian let us pass?"

"Well, perhaps we could go ask him," offered Jing, taking a few steps forward. 'After all, certainly the people will follow their protector if he tells them it's time to move onto greener pastures."

"We assume you know where he's staying, my lady, considering you're his top priestess," added Razekar, bowing.

"And if he tries to hurt you, I'll be there to save you from harm!" announced Kir, his feathery chest stuck out in pride.

"Well, I think this old bird needs to look after his master," suggested the bandit with golden-orange hair, leaning on the black albatross with his elbow, a slightly mischievous look on his face.

"Jing can take care of himself!" barked the dark avian, pushing against Razekar's leaning weight. "And he's not the boss of me! I'm the boss of him!"

"Whatever you say, old bird."

"Stop calling me that!"

"You know, if you guys don't hurry up…" began Dalios, moving towards the exit of the white chamber. "…there won't be any girl to fight over."

Indeed, Jing and Hope had already left the holy sanctuary, leaving only the tangerine-haired young man and the night-hued albatross in the room.

"…He does have a point, old bird," Razekar stated, before he and Kir raced towards the door that led to the outside world.

_Heh, and so we leave off. I think this turned out pretty well. Though I was stuck on Jing's speech to Hope forever...so if it sounds stupid, that's why lol. And Kir and Razekar are fun to write when they're annoying each other XP. _

_Oh yes, I'd also like to suggest that you read "Partners" by Ankhutenshi. It's a very good collection of drabbles on Jing and Kir, and it only has six reviews for 20-some chapters. And we all know that good Jing fics are hard to find... _

_**NEXT CHAPTER**: Jing and the others hope to convince the false guardian to allow the people of Idola to leave, but will it listen? And where did this unknown creature come from?_ _Does even the creature remember? Or perhaps it only pretends..._

_Cya!_


	18. While White Disguises Come in all Sizes

_Back with the next chapter! Sorry it took so long, but everyone has been very busy lately, including my beta reader, so it took her awhile to be able to read the whole chapter through and make suggestions on it. _

_It's a kind of a short chapter, but hopefully it'll be exciting enough to make up for it. Takes a while to start though. _

_Disclaimer: Nope, don't own King of Bandit Jing. I just own the town of Idola, its inhabitants, and a so-called Almighty Guardian. Oh, and a fleet of airships._

_Now on with the story._

**48th Shot: Almighty Fear**

"How much further do we hafta go?" whined Kir, flying next to Dalios as the group ascended the enormous mountain where the Almighty Guardian was resting. "My wings are getting tired."

"If you think flying is exhausting, try stumbling over these rocks instead," grumbled the white haired boy, climbing over stone after jagged stone.

His dog, Rolly, had made significantly more progress than he had, and was patiently waiting for his master to catch up. Jing was also ahead, leading the way for everyone else.

"By the way," the emerald-eyed child began, struggling over an especially big rock. "There's something that's been bugging me."

"What's that?" asked the black albatross.

"Your partner-"

"Sidekick."

"Whatever," Dalios replied, as he finally overcame the large stone in his path. "Anyway, what's his real name?"

"Huh? Whaddaya mean?" asked the black avian, looking perplexed. "Jing's Jing."

"Oh, I really, seriously doubt that," the red-clad child answered, dusting himself off. "…Kir, don't you know any Chesirian?"

"So what if I don't?!"

The short youngster sighed.

"Okay, in Chesirian, _Jing _means 'brave'. So basically your Bandit King has been calling himself 'Brave' all this time. It's like saying you name's 'Superman' in the common tongue. In other words, it's a fake name."

"Really?" Kir questioned, looking surprised. "…Huh. Well, I couldn't tell you. Jing's always said that he's Jing, so I wouldn't know what else he goes by. Cassis and the boys never call him any other name either, well, besides a few choice words whenever Cassis gets mad at him. I guess I'll hafta ask."

Dalios looked up to the sky.

"Hmm..."

The black albatross suddenly zipped ahead to make sure Razekar wasn't getting too friendly with the priestess.

As Kir arrived on the scene, the thief with golden-orange hair was claiming that he and the others would make sure this beast went to hell if it even threatened to hurt her. Jing was nearby waiting for them.

"What is this 'hell' you speak of?" asked Hope.

Razekar and Kir gave her a curious look.

"Whaddya mean you don't know what hell is?" questioned the dark avian. "You know, it's that bad place where sinners go when they die and stuff. You religious people talk about it all the time."

"Oh, I see," the auburn-haired girl replied. "So that's what the foreigners believe."

"So what do you think happens to the sinners of the world as punishment for their deeds?" asked the Bandit King, sitting down on a nearby rock.

"They become monsters, of course."

"Monsters?" asked the lanky young man with golden-orange hair. "You mean like their bodies become like beasts when they die?"

"No, not in death, but in everlasting life," the blue-eyed girl explained. "If you commit horrendous crimes, or deny your weaknesses, your mind slowly becomes that of a beast. It starts from the inside, consuming your conscience, your emotions, your desires, only twisting your physical form once it has filled up your hollow soul and empty body. Then you are doomed to be this being forever, your existence pointless and unwanted, left with only enough self to vaguely regret what you have done until someone is merciful enough to end your life for you. That is the punishment for the sinners."

Jing hopped and off the rock he was sitting on and stretched his arms.

"Is that so?" he asked, wiping off some dirt from the climb. "Or perhaps the sinners become monsters because they are told they will become monsters?"

"What do you mean?" asked Hope, eyeing the gray-eyed boy.

Jing never answered her, however, for just then he noticed an unusual mist beginning to flow down the mountain.

"Well, it seems the Guardian has arrived."

Indeed the gray mammal donning the Roc's colorless plumage was descending from the upper reaches of the mountain, the white fog rolling off him and leaving a kiss of frost everywhere it touched. Jing's obsidian hair had miniscule ice crystals forming on its tips.

"What's the matter, priestess?" asked the so-called Almighty Guardian, pausing its footsteps to observe the assembly below. "Do these kind travelers need help of some kind?"

Hope closed her eyes briefly, then reopened them to look upon what see could see of the bird-clad creature's mammalian face.

"…We must leave this place, Almighty Guardian."

"Leave? Why?" questioned the childish voice, sounding surprised and a bit hurt. "The people seemed happy here the last time I visited the village."

"Well, yes, but…" she continued. "…The countries around us grow more threatening each day, and me and many others are tired of being afraid."

"Afraid? Why should you be afraid?" questioned the gray beast in bird skin clothing. "If any enemies dare to attack us, I the Almighty Guardian will drive them back!"

"But we can't do this forever, just pushing them back time after time," the white-veiled priestess insisted. "It only makes them more determined to attack us again with stronger weapons."

"Then I'll destroy those enemies! All of them!"

"Please don't spill blood unnecessarily, Almighty Guardian! It will make the villagers afraid of you. But can't you, our protector, lead us to a holy land where none can disturb us and we need fear no one?"

"This is the holiest land," the gray creature growled, bearing his starkly white fangs. "You dare to leave this land to be desecrated by those savages?!"

"No, I-"

Then stop this now! Whoever dares to leave will face my wrath as if he were a treacherous outsider!"

Hope bit her lip.

"If we stay here, we will fall!"

"Then so be it!"

Hope was silenced.

"Well, it seems your holiness simply isn't going to listen to reason," Razekar stated, stepping forward. "How rude of him to deny a lady's request! If a god doesn't care about the well-being of his people, then that god doesn't deserve to be a god. Don't you agree, fellas?"

The others stepped forward as well, preparing their weapons.

The auburn-haired priestess tossed a startled look to them.

"Wait! You can't-"

"Don't worry," Jing spoke, his arm blade shining in the sun. "If this Almighty Guardian won't give you and your people your freedom, then we'll simply have it steal it from him."

**49th Shot: Almighty Battle At the Apex**

The beast lunged forward, his yell more of that of a child than that of a god. Jing and the others quickly moved out of the creature's way, each in their own direction, letting him crush the rocks below instead in his mighty landing. The Almighty Guardian snapped his head around, snarling.

While the feather-cloaked beast was distracted, Jing picked up Hope and hurriedly carried her off to safety. Kir followed closely behind.

"Ah horsefeathers, kid beat me to it," complained Razekar, watching the Bandit King run off. Suddenly the lanky young man became aware of a large shadow looming over him and a cold mist floating around him.

"Why hello there, Mr. Guardian," he casually greeted the gray creature towering over him and growling. "Why, I would be honored to fight you."

Long streams of electricity streamed up and down his arms as he thrust both his hands forward, summoning forth a huge lightning bolt. The golden-white power hit the misty creature dead-on, causing it to cry out and stumble back a little. It soon regained its composure, however, and stomped the ground hard, causing the bandit with mismatched eyes to lose his footing.

Then Dalios came leaping from one of the taller rocks, landing on the Almighty Guardian's back. Then, twisting his whip, he splashed some of the green acid onto the Roc skin the gray beast was wearing. Though most of the acid was used up eating a hole through the white avian hide and feathers, enough reached the mammal's flesh for it to feel its effect.

Roaring, the Almighty Guardian began thrashing about, knocking down plants and boulders, and ultimately throwing Dalios off. The white-haired youth landed roughly in one of the still-rooted trees.

"You okay Dal?" called Razekar.

"Yeah," the emerald-eyed boy answered back, surfacing from the tree foliage and jumping down next to the lanky thief. "Okay, so what's the plan? Are we still trying to catch it? Or do we just kill it before it wrecks the village?"

"We're going to catch it, of course," Razekar replied. "Can't go back empty-handed after all."

"Allright then, leave this to me then," stated the red-clad boy. "After all, somebody's gotta make sure the Bandit King doesn't run out on us."

"Oh, he'll be back, don't worry."

"What makes you so sure?"

"I'm sure the Big Shot wouldn't let him go out on a mission like this if he wasn't sure that he wouldn't run off," the young man with golden-orange hair explained. "Besides, who knows what even a matted shred of that Roc skin is worth? Or one ragged feather? He'll be back."

As if his words were a beckoning, Jing and Kir were just running back over the horizon.

"Didn't have too much fun without us, did you?" called the black-haired boy.

"Oh no, the fun's just started," Razekar replied, turning to the emerald-eyed boy.

Dalios simply nodded before taking in a deep breath. Then, from the depths of his lungs came loud screeching cries like that of a bird of prey. In a few moments, dozens of golden-eyed hawks and eagles dove down from sky like a fierce divining wind, bombarding the Almighty Guardian with their curved beaks and piercing talons. While the gray-furred mammal snapped and growled at the attacking avians, a lone white hawk was carefully lifting Rolly up into the air. When it reached just the right altitude, it shot down and dropped the corgi mutt on the creature's broad back. The orange pup wasted no time sinking its fangs into the Almighty Guardian's shoulder.

The down-clad creature's roars faded into dull moans as it sleepily swayed back and forth. Dalios gave a couple more bird shrieks, and the eagles and hawks stopped their assault and retreated to the unharmed trees, looking at the white-haired youth as if waiting for their next orders.

"So that's mutt's doing the same thing to that monster as he did to Jing, huh?" questioned Kir, eyeing Dalios unpleasantly.

"No," the short youngster answered, seeming unimpressed by the black avian's glowering. "Rolly can store any kind of liquid element in his body, whether it's poison, blood, medicine, or even just water. There's a separate semi-organic compartment inside of him that was put into his body before he was even born. It grows as he grows. That's where he stores the extra substance. His hollow fangs have connections to that pouch, which allows him to either absorb or eject a liquid through those fangs. Remember how we said that we had brought strong tranquilizing substances with us? Well, once we found out what we were really dealing with I figured that we probably would end up fighting it, so I had Rolly absorb the substance so he could eject the Guardian with it. So now this so-called god has a tranquilizer strong enough to knock out a dragon inside his system. And it seems to be affecting him just fine."

As Dalios spoke, the mighty beast abruptly sat down, its head hanging lowly as it swayed sluggishly from side to side. The creature had become the quietest that they had ever heard it.

But then it became the loudest they ever heard it.

With a loud, deepening roar the gray beast shook the entire area, causing everyone to lose their ground. The white mist swiftly wrapped around it as it roared, cloaking it from view. Moments later the fog melted back onto the ground, unveiling a monster encased in icy armor. Frozen fur became stiff and sharply pointed. The huge white Roc pelt now clung all the more tightly to the creature's flesh, pinned there by thick sheets of ice. The lifeless eyes of the avian skin were completely frosted over. The area around the cold beast was steadily freezing up, its pale touch slowly spreading outwards. With every breath the creature took, a storm of ice crystals were formed.

"What? But the sedative should've worked!" Dalios exclaimed.

"Maybe it's having some kind of reaction to it," Razekar guessed. "After all, since we don't know what it is, we don't know which sedatives are good or bad for it."

"…This is why outsiders should never come…" spoke the young voice, but with a fierce growl underlining it. "…They plant ideas into the villager's heads that lead them astray, make them think they aren't safe, so they can lure them outside where they are vulnerable. So I will not let any more outsiders taint people with their words, including the outsiders that are here now…"

"Great, the sedative's making it hallucinate," growled the red-clad boy. 'Watch it guys, this thing's outta its mind!"

The Almighty Guardian took in a deep breath, sucking in icy mist as he did so, and fired a beam of pure white energy at the gray-eyed intruder before him.

Jing hastily sprung out of the way of the attack. Where the colorless energy has struck, great spikes of ice shot out of the ground, which caused the immediate area around them to instantly freeze over.

Kir attached to the Bandit King's arm and morphed into gun mode. The thieving duo began to glow green.

"Give me a Kir Royale!"

The attack hit the frozen beast's side, evaporating a good chunk of the ice armor. However, it didn't take long for the ice to begin resealing the vulnerable area.

"Well that's just great," grumbled Dalios, using his bird cries to command another attack from the eagles and hawks.

As the birds of prey dove toward the frozen beast, he let out a long breath that enveloped the avians and froze them solid. The eagles and hawks fell to the ground harmlessly and helplessly.

The emerald-eyed boy let out a snarl as he glared at the arctic monster.

Razekar became bathed in electricity and shot a thunderbolt at the Almighty Guardian. The frozen beast, despite the fact that it was covered in ice swiftly dodged the artificial lightning like nothing at all weighed it down. The impossibly agile creature fired another freezing beam in the odd-eyed thief's direction and the lanky young man only narrowly avoided being a living ice sculpture.

"…No mercy…" the frosted monster growled to itself lowly. "…No mercy…no kindness…no weakness…"

The gray monster let out a colossal howl that shook the stones and trees, causing some of trees' limbs to break off and some of the rocks to crumble and tumble down. Razekar took advantage of his command of electricity to destroy the especially hazardous boulders. Once the prolonged primal scream finally ended, the Almighty Guardian began haphazardly firing its freezing beams everywhere.

"Uh, Jing," began Kir. "…We've got a problem."

IIIIIIIII

Cassis groaned as she trudged up the ever-steep mountain, her bat currently strapped across her back to keep it out of the way. The only reason she was even climbing through this mess of rock and trees was because she heard that that's where the new travelers had gone with the priestess. In other words, it's where Jing had gone. But…

"_True," he had said. "Perhaps this will be better…"_

The blue-eyed girl felt her cheeks grow scarlet.

…But things had become very…awkward.

Of course she was worried about him back then, back when he was a little punk always getting into trouble. And when that theft got screwed up… that night when he went to jail… while she was morbidly adorned with her scars….of course she had to go rescue him. But by the time that she and the other boys could reach the place, and it took awhile, he wasn't there. Apparently Jing had broken out all by himself…

The last time she saw him, he was a cute little boy with wide gray eyes, and was a bit shorter than she was…well, they looked about the same height, but that was just because of that crazy hair of his. _  
_

Now he was this handsome teenager of nearly fifteen years with cool gray eyes, and he was quite a bit taller than she was, even if you didn't count the hair. And…

_Why did he have to get so damn hot on me?_

Everything was getting so complicated.

The boys had seen him kissing her too. They'd always bothered her about Jing and her some, being the immature but lovable brats they are, and now she would never hear the end of it…

Her thoughts were interrupted as she heard explosions up on the higher reaches of the hill. Looking up, she saw a thick mist oozing down the hill, with broken stones and plants laying askew everywhere.

"What's going on up there?" she murmured, hurrying her climbing.

IIIIIII

"Maybe we should go into flight mode," Kir suggested, as he and Jing barely evaded the Almighty Guardian's rampaging paws. The ever-thickening mist made it hard to tell where the frozen beast would come from next.

"No good. The glow from our transformation will make us easy targets in this fog," the Bandit King replied, his body tense and ready to leap away from a strike at any moment. "Same goes for Kir Royale."

"Then whaddaya think we-"

"JING! Jing, is that you?!"

A moment later Cassis ran into view, her bat gripped tightly in her hand.

"What are you doing here?!" exclaimed the boy with dust-hued eyes.

"I could ask you the same thing," the scarred blonde replied. "What's going on?!"

"We're trying to catch a god," the black-haired boy answered simply.

"…Looks like you guys are having fun."

"Well, it's not everyday that you get to fight a deity."

A lightning bolt shot through the frosty fog, obviously of Razekar's doing. For a brief moment a large mass was illuminated in the mist as the arrow of electricity hit its target. An angry roar sounded, and a white beam headed right for them.

"Get down!" Jing ordered, pushing Kir and Cassis to the ground as the colorless power shot right over them. A faint cover of ice crystals formed on their backs.

The boy in the blazing coat caught a quick glimpse of a lanky silhouette zipping by, the form cackling with lightning. It summoned a light blade from the metal band on its arm as it rushed forward and stabbed the much larger shadow in his shoulder. The enormous form let out a small yelp, then became disturbingly still.

"Don't touch me," it hissed, barely auditable. "Don't touch me!"

The massive outline began to give off a bright but colorless glow. Suddenly the white power forced itself outward, causing an energy wave to sweep across the area and blow away some of the icy mist. Whoever was standing was knocked off their feet, and a layer of ice steadily began to cloak the areas that had still remained untouched by the freezing beams. Razekar, being right next to the creature at the time, was sent flying into the air. He landed somewhat roughly nearby, shivering.

"Raze!" cried out Dalios, attempting to regain his footing, only to slip on the newly formed ice. The emerald-eyed boy shot out some lime-green acid at from his whip, but it did little to all the cold armor encasing the Almighty Guardian. The frozen beast fired a white beam in his direction that, while it didn't hit the short youngster, struck close enough for the sheer force surrounding the blast to throw him into the broken trunk of a tree.

"…It's no use," hissed the creature. "…I am a god. Nothing can stop me…"

Suddenly a spinning wooden bat struck the beast on the face.

"God my foot," growled Cassis, owner of the thrown baseball bat. "Ever since I've come here, it's been _Almighty Guardian_ this and _Almighty Guardian _that. But I've yet to see how there's anything godly about you. You hide yourself under a bird skin, you parade around town freezing things, you say that the weather's going to be nice and then you hightail it back to your cave on your mountain. And if you're not doing that, you're randomly rampaging and destroying the land you're supposed to be guarding. I fail to see how you're protecting anyone at all. You're no better than a cowardly child."

"I am no coward!" the beast snapped, its voice losing some of the sinister growl from before. "If I was a coward, there would be no more village!"

"Oh really-"

"Bad guardian bird would've eaten everyone."

"Huh?"

"Everyone said bad bird was nice, but bad bird wasn't nice," growled the beast, a few chunks of ice breaking off its form and falling on the ground as the mist began to disappear. "Bad bird thought we were food. It only protected us because we were its food, and the others were too mean to be good food for it."

An especially large chunk of icy armor slipped off its back.

"Everyone knew bad bird was bad, but everyone thought that the other people were worse than the bad bird, so they let the bad bird eat people. If people started to run out, they would give bad people animals instead, but the bad bird always preferred people. Especially nice people."

What remained of the white fog lowered and swirled around its feet.

"Then it was going to eat the nice priestess girl, because she was the only real nice person left. Bad bird was getting so fat, and the people were getting so thin. And now it wanted to eat the nice priestess girl everyone liked…"

The gray creature paused as some more frosty layers began to slither off it.

"Had to…had to…"

Then suddenly the monster let out a ferocious roar, and the ice swiftly reformed again.

"NO! That never happened! I am the Almighty Guardian, and I always have been, always will be!"

Just as the monster shouted this, its head hung limply and the ice began to melt again.

"It was sleeping…it was easy…"

Then the gray beast began to freeze over.

"It was easy because it was a fake! It was fake, so it was weak!"

"Just had to hit…the right spot…all it took…"

"Of course! It was fake. All fake things are weak!"

Jing watched the gray beast stomp back and forth.

The plumage-wearing monster's alternating speeches became ever faster and unintelligible, as the ice on its body rapidly melted and refroze during the fierce babble. The frozen mist fluctuated with the arguing.

"It wasn't-"

"I am-"

"-my fault!"

"-the protector!"

"-was useless-"

"They will never-"

"-had to change-"

"-defeat us!"

"-so weak-"

"They shall fall!"

"-helpless-"

Jing closed his eyes and stepped forward.

"Wasn't me!"

"Was me!"

"-eternal servitude-"

"Had to do it-"

"-done no wrong-"

"but it was still wrong!"

Steel-hued eyes were locked directly onto the creature in white avian skin as he walked. The obsidian-haired bandit curled his hand down and summoned his blade.

"Jing?" asked Cassis, looking perplexed. His avian partner gave him a similar look.

"I am the-"

"No you're not!"

"Of course I am!"

"No you're not! You can't be!"

"I am true! Always have been!"

"No…"

The blade was raised as his body tensed.

"Jing?!" Cassis called out, looking anxious. "What are you going to-"

"You…are nothing…but…"

Then he struck.

The weakened ice was no match for the lithe blade that lodged itself into the right side of the Almighty Guardian's chest. In a motion that was as swift as the strike, Jing pulled out his weapon and leapt away from the creature as it toppled over. The blade was entrenched in a thick gel-like substance that was colorless except for the faint rainbows hues sluggishly twisting on its surface. It ever so slowly slid off the cold metallic weapon as it reached for the silent ground.

Razekar stirred and shook his head. He took one look at the carcass and sighed.

"Oh well. So much for that."

Dalios moaned as he came to, and also noticed the fallen monster.

"Hey! We were supposed to catch it, not kill it!"

The Bandit King had his eyes closed in serenity, the blade still drenched in the almost-clear liquid.

"Jing!"

The obsidian-haired robber coolly looked back on the scarred blonde behind him.

"Jing, why did you do that?!"

He smirked.

"Because…" the bandit in the blazing coat began, his steel eyes focused on the blue-eyed girl. "…we couldn't leave him in such a miserable state, as a sinner, now could we?"

Cassis said nothing.

"The marked ones here slowly become beasts from the inside out," he continued calmly. "He stopped being himself long ago. What little that was left of the person he was before were going to be consumed by his demons…Isn't that what you told us, priestess?"

Just then a certain auburn-haired girl peeked around one of the few large rocks that were still intact.

"…How long have you known that I've been here?"

"Oh, a while now."

Hope gave him a sad smile.

"You knew him, didn't you? That's why you've been willing to play his game with him. That's why you came back."

"…I wanted to make sure that all of you were going to be allright," the white-veiled priestess stated. "Otherwise I could calm the Almighty Guardian, or stall until you could escape. I'm not a coward…But yes, I did know him as something besides the Almighty Guardian, once."

"And who did he used to be?"

"I never knew his name…" Hope admitted. "…But there was a boy, a child, who I always used to talk to. You see, he'd lost both of his parents, who had offered themselves to the Guardian. He…never forgave the guardian for that…"

"And when the Guardian wanted you, that was the last straw," Razekar concluded.

Hope nodded solemnly.

She watched the body of the Almighty Guardian crumble into diamond dust.

"Come, priestess," beckoned Jing, turning around to face the village in the valley below. "Wouldn't you say that it's time to leave?"

IIIIIII

Idola never looked so empty.

"Well, this is goodbye, I suppose."

All the people around Hope were gathering their things, packing up all their possessions except those endowed with the symbols of the bird. Those items alone would be left to greet any curious passerby. Cassis was not far off, watching them.

"Wow, so everybody's really leaving," Kir stated, looking around at all the people closing the doors to their homes for the final time. "But how do you plan to get through all the surrounding enemy countries?"

"The Big Shot's already taken care of it," replied Razekar, casually pointing up.

Jing and his dark albatross looked above.

"Oh wow!" exclaimed the black avian.

The scarred blonde also had her gaze set to the sky.

The sky was alive with he colors of all sorts of aircraft. They were the kind of aircraft to be found at a carnival, painted with happy faces and cute animals. Jing could've sworn that he'd seen some of these vehicles at the child paradise city of Phrenetikos. Why, he was sure that he'd even seen that clown plane he'd crashed ever-so-gracefully into a wall, albeit being heavily patched up. It still bore that wide, wide grin flawlessly.

"Uh, these sure look pretty and all, but how will they defend against attackers?" Kir questioned.

Razekar smirked and wagged his finger at the albatross.

"Don't you know never to judge a book by its cover, old bird?"

A small black plane armed with laser cannons was buzzing toward the clown plane that the Bandit King apparently has seen earlier. Instantly the silly-looking aircraft had myriad missiles erupt from all over its form, vaguely making it look like a metallic porcupine. .Then the projectiles shot out of the deceivingly deadly clown plane and rained down on the black plane. The enemy plane soon burst into flame under the explosive downpour. The heavily patched aircraft continued to smile as its opponent disintegrated in the air.

Kir looked at the falling remains with shock and slight uneasiness.

Cassis looked upon the smoking fragments with disgust.

"…Just a tad overkill, don't you think?"

"Not really," replied Dalios. "Though most of these _are_ decoys."

"Are you going to just ship them over to that fancy place of Pharos's?" the scarred blond growled.

"Only if they want to go there," Razekar replied with a smile.

Suddenly a dragonfly-like machine of green and silver descended from the sky, stopping near Jing and the others.

"Well, there's our ride," the thief with golden-orange hair stated, leaping aboard the dragonfly machine with a single jump. For the rest, a rope ladder was lowered from the open door.

Jing watched as Dalios put Rolly into his backpack, only letting his foxy head stick out, and began to climb the ladder.

"Surely you're not going with them, are you?" questioned Cassis, as she saw Jing walking toward the ladder.

The steel-eyed bandit looked back and smirked.

As the thief in the blazing coat bounced onto the rope ladder as it took off, Kir briefly hovered over the blue-eyed girl.

"Don't worry, we'll ditch this Pharos guy yet."

While the dragonfly vehicle quickly rose higher and higher to the sky, Jing looked down and saluted the scarred blonde with a smile before he entered the aircraft.

Cassis continued to gaze at the sky long after the dragonfly machine that melted into the vividly-colored hoard above.

The scarred blonde stayed silent as she turned away and walked into the crowd.

"Caaaaasssssiiisss!" she heard three voices whine from nearby.

The blue-eyed girl set her gaze on her trio of young loyal followers.

"Why'd ya let him go?" asked the shortest one, a disappointed look on his face as he crossed his arms. "He might be all brainwashed and stuff next time we see him!"

"Oh don't worry, we'll see him again real soon."

"What makes you so sure?" asked the oldest one, the one with only two black strands for hair.

Cassis smirked.

"Because," she began, as she followed the crowd to the nearby airships. "We're going to be paying a little visit to the palace of the Almighty Pharos."

_And so that wraps up the Almighty Guardian quest. Not the greatest quest I ever wrote, but I think it turned out allright in the end. Though it occurs to me that I completely forgot about Postino...hmm..._

_Next chapter will be one of those between chapters, and will probably be pretty short. I was considering putting it with this chapter, but it doesn't really fit in with the quest so I didn't._

_**NEXT CHAPTER: **Everyone's doing quite well in not minding their own business both inside and outside of Pharos's palace. Chores and escape schemes may, or may not, be getting done as plans for the future are weaved on opposing sides. And there seems to have been a stow-away on one of those ships..._

_Cya! _


	19. Drinks, Desire, and Disorder For All!

_Hello again! Spring break is finally here! _

_Welcome the 50th Shot, aka the chapter that had to be rewritten three times XP. Considering that this an in-between chapter with mostly banter, randomness, plenty of fluff, and bits of info thrown in, you wouldn't think it would need it. But it did, and it was worth it in the end, since I think this chapter turned out well once I straightened everything out._

_By the way, Razekar is 19, and I've set the drinking age in the Jing world is 18. Also, any names of the liquor mentioned in this chapter that sound familiar are not coincidence._

_Disclaimer: Own King of Bandit Jing? Pfft. I don't even own lockpicks. _

_Now let's see what our favorite Bandit King and his friends are up too..._

**50th Shot: Unsystematic Bonds**

"What's the matter, Facteur? You're too quiet."

"Oh, sorry, I was just thinking back to about a week ago," the chubby postman replied, taking a swig out of his water jug at the motorcycle-fueling station. "It's this kid I know."

"Oh?" asked Postino, sitting right next to him.

"There's this Chesirian kid named Baiyu that I met before I left Bacc," the older man began. "I've seen him around quite a bit since then. Nice youngster with a noble heart, he is. Pretty good with a sword too, or at least better than I'll ever be. Hahaha!"

"Doesn't sound like I know him," the leather-clad motorist stated. "Though I think I saw someone like him with a sword before I left Bacc. Does he have semi-long dark brown hair and travel with a lizard man?"

"Yep, that's him!" announced Facteur, getting out a bag of chips to munch on. "Anyway, I was over in Cheshiria the other day, just barely not getting drowned like a rat in this real monster of a torrent, when I met with Baiyu. The kid was so excited about something or other that all he spoke was rapid Chesirian, which didn't help me any. Never did get him calm enough to speak in the common language. Then the kid ran off to go somewhere or other."

"Go on."

"But then I met him a few days later, and he didn't seem like himself at all. Kid was really upset about something, but he wouldn't tell me. It's been bugging me ever since."

"Hmm…"

"I guess whatever got him excited didn't go as planned," Facteur theorized, crumpling up the now-empty bag of chips. "But Baiyu's a strong kid. He wouldn't just snap like that unless it was something really bad."

"Well, I couldn't tell you. I don't know him," Postino replied, opening his canteen to get a quick drink.

"Maybe you could ask your Chesirian friend, you know, the kid in the orange jacket with the bird," suggested the older motorist. "Baiyu mentions him a lot."

"Oh really?" asked the thinner motorbike rider, twisting the cap back on his canteen. "How does he know him?"

"Well apparently they were best friends back in the day," answered Facteur. "But now your Chesirian kid denies that he's ever seen Baiyu before. It's really burns him up. He says that his friend doesn't even go by his real name anymore."

Postino paused.

"Hey, Facteur?"

"Yeah?"

"This friend of yours, perhaps you could introduce me to him?"

IIIIIIII

"There once was a marvelous boy called Jing, who was the ruler of all bandits!"

"…Really, Kir?"

"If it existed, he could steal it. Why, he could even snatch away the stars in the sky if he felt like it!"

"That's a mighty claim indeed. Can you pass those glasses over here?"

"No other thief could even come to his skill! Yes, he was a truly marvelous bandit!"

"Fine, I'll get them myself."

"But what has become of this bandit, you ask?"

"I didn't ask."

"Why, he's with us right now…WASHING THE DISHES LIKE SOME FAMILY MAID AND SERVING DRINKS LIKE SOME SERVANT BOY! HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO ME JING?! WHERE'S YOUR PRIDE?!"

The Bandit King did his best to ignore his ranting avian partner, who floated over him like a thundercloud. He was in fact cleaning up the glasses in Pharos's karaoke bar with a wet rag, which was packed full with customers. Like all of the areas of the palace, the karaoke bar had all kinds of odds and ends attached to the walls and ceiling, but here the items seemed especially crowded. There were objects piled on top of objects stuck to the wall. In the background an Elvis impersonator was singing his namesake's songs just slightly off key.

The black-haired boy wore a white dress shirt and sleek black pants, with a modest little red bow tie. Kir wore nothing more than his usual red bandana around his neck. Unlike Jing, he had already done his chores in the palace for the day.

"Now, old bird, don't disturb your master while he's working," spoke Razekar, ambling over to where the black albatross was and giving him a few rough pats on the head. "He's a very busy man."

"He's not my master!" the dark avian snapped, his speech slurring slightly. "He's my sidekick! I'm the one who does all the work!"

"Of course," the lanky thief corrected himself, smiling and bowing toward Kir. "So then, oh master of the Bandit King, shall I buy us a few drinks so we can talk about the grander things in life?"

Kir eyed the young man with golden-orange hair for a bit, while a teenager with a smiling paper sun mask hurriedly walked past the two of them.

"…Allright. Jing's shift doesn't end til six anyway."

"Then get us two glasses of vermouth!" Razekar called over to Jing, tossing a bag of coins onto the counter.

"Hey! Don't order for me!" the black albatross barked at the young man with mismatched eyes.

"I'm not ordering for you. I'm ordering for me."

"And what do you want, master Kir?" asked the gray-eyed boy with a red bow tie, as he poured two glass of the fruity liquor. These weren't the first two drinks Razekar had asked for.

"Uuuuuuh…give me some more sherry."

The black avian had already downed a few glasses himself.

"Okay, coming right up."

Standing not two feet from him was Stir, pouring a glass of white wine for a man who had two antennas sticking out of his mousy hair. The Bandit King gazed at her with cool gray eyes once he had handed the drinks he'd filled to the two lady-killers.

First he started with her long silver hair, part of which was tied up into a high pony-tail with a sleek black ribbon, and followed the rest of the hair that hung freely down her back. Then his eye rose back up to the small strings of diamonds on her earrings, and let them slip to the white-silver chain that was draped around her otherwise bare neck. Afterward those gray eyes traveled across her close-fitting dress of black velvet, where a single red rose was sitting on the upper rim of the top's wide V-neck.

She had not chosen this outfit, the Bandit King knew; it had been prepared by the clothes designer that had been assigned to her. Everyone had their own clothes designer, who would make the perfect outfit for the person they served for any occasion, whether it would be a wedding or bartending. Being picked out by Pharos from the normal population, it was a given that his people should have superior clothes. The black-haired boy's own clothes designer was always pestering him, telling him to wear one of his brand-new and much-improved orange coats. Supposedly they were stream-lined, so he could move swifter and more easily, while made of a sturdy cloth had provided more protection. They all lined the bottom of his closet.

Jing had the feeling that Stir did not agree with her clothes designer's taste or her current role as a barmaid as she furiously scrubbed the countertop. It took her a few moments to notice that Jing was watching her.

"…What?" she asked testily, eyeing him warily as she continued her fierce polishing.

"Oh, nothing," he replied, smiling slightly. "Just feeling sorry for the counter."

The silver-eyed girl halted her vicious cleaning to glare at him.

"I don't know about you, but I don't particularly care for feeling like one of my servants," she growled.

"Ah, but now you'll be closer to the common people when it's your turn to rule Zaza," the Bandit King answered, going back to cleaning out dirty cups with his rag. Somewhere in the background he heard Razekar and Kir arguing whether a woman's legs or chest were better.

"And I suppose you're enjoying yourself?"

"Well, I do plan to pack a few things first," responded the Bandit King, his hand casually slipping a glass with a painting of a meticulously detailed emerald serpent on its surface into his right-hand pocket. He heard Razekar challenge Kir to see who could get the most girls to settle their debate.

Stir raised an eyebrow.

"A few things, huh?"

"Well, I'm packing for you too."

"And what if I'm not interested in your gifts?"

"Then you can sell them," responded the gray-eyed boy. "I'm sure they'll make fine payment for the queen's mask."

The gray-eyed boy began to pour some kirsche for a young and slightly tipsy cat-girl.

"Here you go ma'am," he said to the feline female, as he handed her the refilled glass.

The cat-girl giggled madly as she was handed her drink, stared at the young bartender's handsome face for a few moments, and giggled even more madly as she ran off.

The silver-eyed princess leered at the back of the female feline as she melted into the crowd of lively tables.

"So," Stir began, reverting her attention to scrubbing the countertop ever the more angrily. "Any plans for getting out of here?"

"Oh, our shifts shouldn't last too much longer," answered the gray-eyed boy, as he paid a glance to Razekar and Kir flirting with a fair-haired lady with beautiful white angel wings.

Suddenly the lovely lady morphed into a devil hag, causing both lady-killers to yelp and skitter back in shock. Then the devil hag transformed into Neirnyx, who began to laugh her head off. Razekar sighed in defeat, while Kir tried to attack the ruby-plumed phoenix. The black albatross ended up getting well fried by her fire breath.

"You know very well that's not what I'm talking about," the girl dressed in velvet black growled. "I mean how will we-"

Before she could finish, Kir suddenly thrust himself in Stir's face, startling her. The black albatross smelled like overcooked chicken drowned in alcohol. His feathers were still smoking slightly.

"Eeeey…you wanna come join me and the other girls here?" Kir asked, hiccupping and gesturing towards a small group of big-bosomed girls behind him. There were cute little lioness girls with scorpion tails, green-haired girls with woody skin and mossy clothes, and one ditzy robot girl. The Bandit King suspected that Kir wouldn't have found these girls so pretty if he wasn't intoxicated.

Jing sighed, yanked the drunk avian away from Stir, and tossed him back toward his mini-harem.

"…Try to ignore him when he's like that."

"I try," Stir replied dryly. "Seriously though, do you have any plans for getting out of here? I don't plan to live here for the rest of my life."

The black-haired boy smiled at her before preparing a few drinks for Razekar and his pack of ladies. Some of these girls had wolfish traits and horse tails, some had slick blue skin with fins growing out of the lower arms and legs, and one had dark curly hair with a long snake tail and wore glasses, whom the lanky thief seemed especially fond of. The black-haired bartender wondered if he would associate with any of them if he were sober.

"All in good time, dear princess, all in good time."

"I told you to stop calling me that!"

"Ah, yes, you're right," the Bandit King replied, wiping the countertop where a frog sailor had spilled his drink. "My apologies, Stir."

She sighed and started pouring a small glass of cointreau for a geeky-looking ogre with all kinds of contraptions and books tied to his back. Jing observed her with warm gray eyes.

Just then the large clock in the center of the ceiling struck six and started glowing brilliantly, emitting a trumpeting sound. Some of the hung-over people were woken up, and they staggered out of the room as quickly and steadily as they could to escape the all-too-loud tooting. Others fled the room realizing that they had chores or missions to go to soon. It was said that it was because of these slothful people that the shining clock was placed here of all rooms.

"It's about time," Stir stated, as she stretched and began to walk to the end of the counter, where the new bartenders were waiting. Among the fresh servers was a balding middle-aged man, dressed up like all the other bartenders, looking like he wanted to be anywhere but here.

Jing followed her without a word.

"Now I can finally get out of this dress," the platinum-haired warrior continued. "Ballroom gowns are one thing, but this-"

"But you look lovely in it," remarked the boy wearing dressy black slacks, smiling.

"W-Well, I suppose so, but still-"

Then the boy with warm gray eyes wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close to him. He felt her body suddenly stiffen, and then begin to relax under his hold.

"Jing?" the silver-eyed princess asked uneasily, as she felt him gently rest his head on her right shoulder. "Jing, you've been acting a bit odd. You didn't sip any of those drinks earlier, did you?"

"Of course not, Stir," he replied softly, closing his eyes. "I just thought that maybe you wanted to dance tonight, while we're still dressed up, that's all. You've been waiting, right?"

Stir's cheeks turned slightly pink.

"I….guess we could. After all, I -"

The reverie was insolently broken when a bottle of wine suddenly flew right past them and smashed into the wall. Neither one of them was harmed, but the liquid that was splashed upon the myriad objects against the wall glared at them in all its red glory. Nearby, they heard Razekar complaining about how an old bird had gotten more girls than him.

"…maybe we should do this when it isn't so rowdy in here," suggested Stir, watching the drunken people yelling joyfully and tossing around things. The middle-aged balding barkeeper rushed in and began to screech at them to behave themselves. He was blissfully ignored.

"…Yeah, kinda ruins the feeling, doesn't it?" agreed Jing, watching the chaos reign stoically. "Another time then. It's usually calmer in the middle of the week anyway. Everyone's off on missions and movie theaters."

The Bandit King carefully, reluctantly released his hold on Stir and began to walk out.

"Later."

Stir nodded in response.

"Yeah, later."

As the silver-eyed princess left the karaoke bar, she heard Razekar declared a singing match to settle the score, which Kir gladly accepted. Then, just before the bar's noises left her ears, she heard the faint sound of the two of them singing the AFI song "Summer Shudder". It sounded like Razekar was winning.

IIIIIII

The violet-and-red dusk outside had been long ago been consumed by the blackness of night when she finally decided to explore the more exotic regions of Pharos's palace.

It had been easy to slip off the airship, and even easier to melt into the vast crowd. After all, with so many people already held captive there and more coming every day, no one could have known everyone's face even if they tried. A stranger was just as familiar as any friend here. Besides, she had tucked her long blonde hair into her cap and covered her face with a smiling sun mask made of paper. If anyone looked at her, they would probably think she was a young boy with a taste for weird masks.

She couldn't let the other three come. Despite their claims to be bandit disciples, they couldn't sneak around anywhere or blend in smoothly even if their life depended on it. In a place like this, it very well could. So she left them on that other ship, with the auburn-haired priestess. The priestess had agreed to take care of them when they discussed it a couple hours before the ships arrived. She hoped, prayed, that those three weren't being big crybabies about it.

It surprised her, just how massive the palace was. She knew it would be big, of course, but the rumor of a palace that was larger than a full-size city and the actual fact that there was a palace that was larger than a full-size city were two different things. What was more surprising though, once she over the shock of the palace's immensity, was just how much freedom the people here were allowed. Once again she hadn't been sure of what to expect, but she had always had vague images of a massive zoo, where all the valuable people were wearing heavy chains on their arms and legs while being forced to do what they did best all day long. But no, these people seemed to lead perfectly free and normal lives inside this palace, as if this was just an especially large and prosperous town. There were even request boards where people could pick out missions to do, if they wished.

But she didn't come here to be a tourist of Pharos's palace. No, Cassis came here for very specific reasons. And she planned to work on at least one of those reasons while the majority of the people were in bed. Now she was almost at the zoo of intelligent plant life-forms…

"Why hello there!"

Cassis jumped and spun around. Not a few feet away was a lanky young man with golden-orange hair and a green vest. The scarred blonde felt a black pit open up in her gut.

_He hasn't been following me, has he?_

She was trying to think of his name. Raze-something, wasn't it? The guy who was just with Jing, the one who controlled electricity. Maybe he wouldn't recognize her with her hair hidden and the sun mask on her face...

"So you came for a visit, huh?" the thief with the mismatched eyes asked, smiling serenely. "If you wanted to join us that badly, you should've just said something back at Idola. Would've been a lot less trouble than all that ship-hopping you must've had to do."

So much for that fleeting hope.

"Like I would ever serve as one of Pharos's dogs," she hissed, bringing out her bat.

"Hey now, no need to be so violent," the lightning-wielder replied, casually holding his hands up. "I think I know what you're here for anyway."

The scarred blonde lowered her bat slightly but cautiously.

"How would you know?"

The robber with the golden-orange hair smirked.

"Oh, it was pretty obvious," he began, lazily leaning on the nearby railing. "But you should know that your Prince Charming is in room 6-1033, which is in the south wing, not the east."

It took a few moments for the words to sink in.

"WHAT?! NO! I-I'm not…WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?!" she suddenly exclaimed, her face turning a strange shade of scarlet. She was glad she had the mask on.

"Now, now, the others will hear you," teased the lanky young man, wagging a finger at her. "And some of them aren't as nice as me."

"B-But-"

"And you've been a bad little girl," the lanky thief added. "I noticed you were at the karaoke bar. That was _your_ bottle of red wine that got thrown across the room, wasn't it? That sure would've hurt if it hit its mark, you know. I probably shouldn't let you go see him, for being such a little brat."

"…I wasn't trying to hit him with it, I was just giving him a warning…"

"Of course. Anyone would get jealous if they saw that. I know I would," he replied, giving Cassis a couple pats on the head and pushing in the opposite direction. "Now run along now. You shouldn't keep your Prince Charming waiting, after all. If you hurry quickly, I won't tell anyone where you're sneaking off to."

The bat-wielding blonde paused to say something to him, but decided against it. Face still somewhat red under the paper sun, she began to march in the other direction as the bandit with the mismatched eyes watched her leave.

_Well, I do want to check on him too…_

IIIIIII

Neirnyx delicately weaved her masterpiece, carefully threading the glowing white string with her beak in and out of the small openings in her art piece. She paid intense attention to her work, like that fully 3D sculpture of thread was the only object that existed in that room of absolute black.

But it wasn't the only object that existed in that lightless room. In fact, thousands upon thousands of woven figures were contained in that room, their white illumination the only source of light in the darkness. The amount of glowing threads used to make them varied greatly from sculpture to sculpture. Some were almost a solid mass of white string, while others only had their shape defined in the vaguest sense by a few lonely threads. There were some figures of animals, and some were of plants, but most of them, the overwhelming majority, were of people.

The ruby phoenix was so entranced by her weaving that it took here a few moments to note of Pharos's presence.

"Oh hello there, dear Pharos," the emerald-eyed avian greeted, twisting her sinewy neck to look at him. Her white thread still rested in her rosy beak as she spoke.

"Greetings, Neirnyx," the golden-robed man replied, smiling serenely. "How is everyone?"

"Oh, they're doing just fine," answered the scarlet-plumed bird. "Frankenstein here needed some work, but it was mostly maintenance repairs. I plan to check Dracula while I'm at it. He's been having nightmares lately."

"I see," the violet-eyed man responded, studying the string figures with satisfaction. "And what about the new arrivals? How are they?"

"Well both the queen and the princess are fine," the rose-beaked phoenix stated, finishing her work on the Frankenstein sculpture before her and securing the end of the white thread to the rest of the woven figure. "It's just a matter of bandaging a few scars."

"And the Bandit King?"

"Bandit Boy…needs work."

"Oh? How so?"

"Oh, it's one of those annoying times when I have to unweave before I can weave," Neirnyx answered casually, inspecting some nearby woven figures for flaws and fraying. "Can't weave over what's already there or it'll just make things worse. And after everything's unwoven, I still need to give him time to breathe before I can start with my actual weaving."

"Hmm…" Pharos began, his usual smile slipping off his face. "How long do you think it'll take?"

"A while," the red avian deduced. "Such delicate things can't be rushed, or everything will fall upon itself and will be lost. Of course I'll try to unravel the flawed work in a reasonable amount of time, since it will still collapse under its own weight if I take too long."

"Ah. But I'm sure you will be able to handle it with style," the golden-robed man assured, smiling once more. He turned around and began to exit the absolute black.

"Of course. Who do you think I am?" Neirnyx teased as Pharos disappeared from view. The scarlet-plumed phoenix turned around and sighed as she flew over to the Dracula sculpture to examine it.

_Sadly, Bandit Boy isn't the worst case I have to deal with…_

IIIIIIIII

That Bandit Boy was currently busy lying on his bed and staring up at the ceiling of his room. He had changed into his usual outfit of a loose gray tank top and matching baggy pants. His classier clothes lay abandoned on the floor next to the bed.

"Hey Jing," his black albatross called, flying about perfectly sober. It was amazing how fast the bird could shake off a hangover. "Are you gonna lie there for the rest of the day or what?"

"…Maybe."

"C'mon Jing, what's with you? Won't you at least talk to me?" questioned Kir, hovering right above him.

Jing turned his gaze to the side.

"I don't get it…" he replied, a faraway look to his normally sharp gray eyes.

"Whaddaya mean?"

"Well...it's just…" the boy in the blazing coat began. "I've been feeling kinda funny lately."

"Like you're feeling sick?"

"No…" the boy in the blazing coat replied, rolling over to stare down at the carpet instead. "It's more like...I'm missing something…"

"Missing something?" Kir parroted, plopping down on the downy bed next to his human partner. "Like you can't figure something out?"

"Kinda…But it's more like…something's not right…" continued the black-haired boy.

"Of course something's not right," answered the dark avian. "This whole place isn't right, with random stuff stuck all over the walls and this Pharos guy kidnapping people all the time."

"That's not what I meant…"

"You're just thinking too hard," concluded the black albatross, grabbing one of the fluffy pillows and lying down on top of it.

Jing smirked as he watched Kir grow drowsy.

"Probably."

But even as he heard the black avian starting to snore, Jing thought he could feel the sound of something cracking.

_Why did I…lose control like that…? I'm the Bandit King, I can't…_

There was a sharp rapping at the door. Kir gave a sudden snort as he was jolted back to consciousness.

"Who in the world would be coming at this time of night?" the black avian grumbled, as he sleepily glided over to the door. "Were you expecting anybody, Jing?"

"Nope."

Kir looked through the peephole and let out a surprised squawk.

"What is it, Kir?"

"It's Cassis! Cassis's outside!"

The Bandit King sat up and stretched, turning his body to face the door.

"Is she now?" asked the black-haired boy. "Well, go ahead and let her in, Kir."

The dark albatross complied and opened the door, giving her a cheerful greeting. The blonde wearing a smiling paper sun mask walked in slightly uneasily. After Kir closed the door behind her, she took off her cap, letting her long fair hair tumble down, and tore off her mask.

"Hello there, Cassu," Jing welcomed.

"It's Cassis," she corrected, sitting down on the bed next to him and smirking. Kir landed on her right shoulder. "You can pronounce my name right now, and you know it."

"But Cassu's more fun to say," the boy with dust-hued eyes teased back, also smirking. "So, what brings you here to Pharos's palace? I thought you despised him."

"Oh, I do," she assured him, studying all the treasures had were accumulated in the room. "But I had to come here to help settle the score."

"And what scores do you need to settle with Pharos?" asked the Bandit King. "You never did get around to telling me back in Idola."

"Well, first of all I came here to bust you guys outta here," Cassis stated, tickling the underside of Kir's beak. "I'm not going to let Pharos brainwash you while you're taking your time to break out. But also…"

"Yes?"

"…Did you ever wonder…why the forest fairies back in Amarcord acted the way they did?" she questioned, eyeing the gray-eyed boy.

Jing narrowed his eyes. Kir also became unusually somber.

"…Never really thought about it," the Bandit King admitted. "I just knew they kidnapped young girls and turned them into trees…Why?"

"Well…when you went into one of their lairs to rescue me, did you see any female forest fairies attack you?" the scarred blonde asked.

"…Now that I think of it, no," Jing replied, crossing his arms. "Of course, it may be harder to tell the gender differences between tree-like creatures than between humans."

"No, it's not that hard to tell," Cassis responded, smirking coldly. "But the reason why you didn't see any of them…is because Pharos took them all."

"Eh?!" Kir exclaimed.

"…Is that so?" the black-haired boy asked. "And without any females of their breed, they turned to the girls in the village and tried to use them as substitutes?"

"Exactly," the blue-eyed girl answered, narrowing her eyes. "None of them were successful substitutes, though. But they were desperate, so they kept coming back to Amarcord to take new girls that might work…"

"But why did Pharos take just the female forest fairies?" interrogated Kir. "Wouldn't he have wanted all the forest fairies, male or female?"

"Apparently the female of that particular breed of forest fairy is a lot rarer than the males are, because a lot more males are produced than females," Cassis explained. "Pharos already had plenty of the males of the species by the time he came to Amarcord, so he only kidnapped the females and left the males behind."

"T-Then all that mess back at Amarcord was all Pharos's fault?!" Kir snapped.

"Yeah…"

"When did you learn this?" asked Jing.

"Well, while I was connected to the elder forest fairy, the one you used your first Kir Royale on, I saw flashes of when Pharos and some of his men had invaded the woods and captured the females. It didn't make any sense to me at time, thought maybe it was some kind of freaky dream I had, so I didn't say anything about it. But when I found out who Pharos was and found out more about him, it all fell into place."

"I see," the dark-dressed Bandit King responded, closing his eyes. "So when you said you wanted my help with something back in Zaza, you meant that you wanted my help rescuing the female forest fairies."

"That's right," the scarred blonde answered. "The male forest fairies back at Amarcord are continuing to kidnap any young girl who enters the village. If we can free the females and return them to the forest, then they'll finally leave the other girls alone and release any girls they've captured previously."

"Sounds like a worthy cause indeed," stated the Bandit King, getting up and walking over to the rack where his searing-orange coat waited.

"Where are you going?" she asked.

"To save the fairies, of course," Jing replied, taking his coat off the rack and slipping it on. "I can show you where they are. I couldn't help but notice their exhibit, considering my previous experience with them and all."

"You have a plan already?"

"There are some secret passages and rooms near the zoo that could be of great use for hiding forest fairies while we wait for a good opportunity to ship them and ourselves out," the thief with steel-hued eyes explained. "Of course, it'll be a hassle to subdue the fairies and take some of the females, but some of the liquors I took from the bar today should help with that…"

"So we're gonna break out tonight?!" Kir exclaimed happily.

"Well, not tonight, for we need to gather the female forest fairies tonight and put them in a secret room for safekeeping, as well as informing the princess and the queen about it," the obsidian-haired bandit stated. "But yes, we're moving towards that point."

"Allright!"

"So, shall we go, Cassu?" Jing asked, pulling out the violet cat mask with swirling eyes and a smile far too wide to be sane.

"Of course!" the scarred blonde answered, quickly bundling up her long blonde hair and putting on her red baseball cap. She tied the paper mask of the grinning sun around her face, obscuring her burn scars once more.

Kir, seeing his other two comrades dressing up their faces, took up a smiling snowman mask and put it on.

"Then let us go," announced the Bandit King, placing the psychotic purple feline face over his own. "To the forest fairies!"

They opened the door calmly enough, traveling down the long hall at a brisk pace that soon broke out into a run.

"Just like old times, huh?" the Bandit King asked, his voice warped by the mask.

"Yeah," Cassis answered, her own voice just slightly distorted by her own false face.

As they turned a corner, the hallway suddenly exploded into light.

The sudden glare of all the lights forced the trio of vagabonds to stop and shield their eyes. When their sight had cleared, they saw hundreds of soldiers and guards standing around them, all with their weapons ready. Standing right before them, shining white with electricity like synthetic deity, was Razekar.

"Now where do you two think you're going at this hour?" he asked, smirking. "Only crazy night-owls like me are up at this time."

"What?! I thought you weren't going to tell anyone you saw me?!" Cassis hissed at the lit-up lanky thief.

"Ah, but I didn't say that," answered Razekar, wagging a finger at her. "I said that I wouldn't tell anyone where you were going. I didn't say anything about letting you leave once you were done visiting."

The soldiers drew in closer.

"Sorry, but there will be no romantic flights tonight," the glowing bandit stated. "Nice try though."

_First, let me explain Cassis's nickname. In the undubbed Seventh Heaven OVA, where the flashback story with Cassis occurs, when Jing says Cassis's name it sounds like he's saying Cassu instead of Cassis (I reloaded the episode on youtube to check. The only time he pronouces the 'sis' part is right after the policeman is beaten, when he says something like "That was a great pitch, Cassis!" And then he pronounces the first part of her name differently. AGH! ) None of the other characters do this, so it's not like it's the Japanese way of saying Cassis. And so, we get the nickname. _

_As a side note, the paper mask had Cassis wears throughout this chapter is based on the goofy-toothed sun face that pops up in the manga. It doesn't show up as much as the crazy cat face does, but you still see it every now and then. Probably the best example of it is on the cover of the fifth manga of the regular series, where it's one of the four metal weapons behind Jing, the one to the far left. This symbol also shows up on the sleeves of Cassis's coat, at least in the anime, which is why I chose to to use for the design of her mask. In short: I do not own the smiling sun face. I would've put it in the disclaimer, but that might've spoiled something early on. Oh, and Kir's snowman mask is also from the manga, in the seventh volume._

_Next time we move onto the fifth quest, and we are going to be on the fifth quest for quite a while. There's a lot of things happening and a lot of material to cover, so it'll be quite a few chapters long. Once we get through that, it's on to the final arc, which might end up being shorter than the fifth quest XP. _

_**NEXT CHAPTER: **The gang under Pharos, which now includes a sulking Cassis, is off to capture someone known as Leonidas. But just who or what is Leonidas anyway? At any rate, it seems that it might be awhile before this Leonidas even shows up; there's festivities to attend, and the clothes come free, whether you want them or not. Still, it could be a perfect time to light a heart afire..._

_Cya!_


	20. Scarlet Sorrow with the Scent of Sap

_Hello, sorry for such a long wait! Two-thirds of this chapter got moved down to another point, so I had to type up more for this chapter and wait for the editing results. This is a huge chapter, the start of the fifth quest, so I won't babble too much here and will just let you read XP._

_Oh yes, anyone interested in trading for Pokemon Diamond and Pearl? I've got lotsa stuff, including shinies and legends. I can give you my friend code and game name if anyone's interested._

_Disclaimer: I don't own Jing or Cassis or Stir or Kir. However, I do own the worlds present in these chapters and the chars that inhabit them. But the best I can hope for as far as owning the King of Bandits is owning a costume to impersonate him at an anime convention XP_

_And so it continues, finally..._

**51****st**** Shot: Salutations from the Emerald Nightmare**

"So why does Pharos want this Leonidas person so badly?"

The bored comment came from a certain black albatross, as he stared out at the orange desert outside the golden train's window. Next to Kir was Jing, also calmly observing the passing world outside, with Stir sitting beside him. On the other side of Jing was Cassis, obstinately glaring out the window. Razekar was lazily stretched out across his seat and looking up at the ceiling, his gangly legs dangling over the edge of the cushioned bench. Dalios contently rubbed the belly of the corgi mutt lying in his lap while paying the occasional glimpse outside. Falcon was fast asleep against his seat.

It had not been a good week for Jing. Stir hadn't exactly been ecstatic to hear that Cassis had snuck into his room in the middle of the night, and it didn't help that Cassis eyed Stir venomously if she got too close to Jing. In turn, Stir refused to speak to Cassis unless absolutely necessary, and even then she kept the words to a minimum. The dark-clad warrior did her talking with her cold eyes. It made Cassis all the angrier.

The blue-eyed blonde had been in a scathing mood ever since she had been captured by the guards in the hallway and become part of Pharos's human collection. Not that she and Jing hadn't put up a good fight; by the time they were too weak to fight anymore the corridor bore all sorts of fresh scars. They had even woken up some of the lighter-sleeping inhabitants in their rooms. Of course, as retribution for their impeded escape, both of them found themselves repairing those scars for most of the past week.

Then those secret passages that the black-haired bandit had planned to use as an escape route simply vanished altogether, as if they had been swallowed by the walls. As much prowling as he did, or could do under the circumstances, he just couldn't relocate them or find any new ones. Between this abrupt upset in plans and the cold war that simmered between the two girls, the Bandit King could neither do dancing or escaping.

"Why, because he's a rare individual, of course," Razekar answered the dark avian nonchalantly, keeping his gaze on the ceiling. "And because it seems our friend Leonidas has evaded him quite a few times now. Every time he sends people after the fella, the people disappear. There's no better way to work the Big Shot into a lather better than making his hard-earned people vanish without a trace."

"That's another reason why Magnum Pharos wants him," chimed in Dalios, scratching behind Rolly's ears absentmindedly. "He wants to know where his people went. Of course, he probably also wants to see what people Leonidas has gathered himself. It's rumored that he has quite a collection of individuals, and Magnum Pharos probably wants to see if any of them are worthy of joining us."

"Well, if Pharos wants him so bad, why doesn't he just go after him himself, or send Neirnyx after him?" questioned Stir, studying her reflection in the rose-tinted window.

"He's on the verge of doing that," the emerald-eyed boy answered. "Neirnyx just thought we were good people for the job and wanted us to go first. But if we don't come back, they'll come to fetch him themselves."

"That's real comforting," the dark avian growled. "So what's he look like?"

"Well, no one can seem to agree," Razekar admitted, sitting up. "Some say he's a man, others say he's a demon, others say he's a spirit, and still others say he's actually a she. So no one really knows. Most the people who've actually seen him have disappeared, after all."

"Well, guess we're about to find out," stated Jing, as they approached a circular ridge of cliffs that looked like a giant crown in the middle of the wasteland. The golden train slipped through one of the many openings with ease, and glided down to the edge of the Uncanny Valley. A small plateau of rock awaited them.

There didn't seem to be anything special about this valley nestled by the crown of cliffs. In fact, all there was to be seen was flat red sand and a little sigh of wind.

"Huh?" But there's nothing here!" Kir exclaimed, looking around for the slightest sign of life or civilization as he and the others got off the train. "No Leonidas person or missing people or nothing!"

"He's kinda got a point," yawned Falcon, who was still sleepy from his nap. Razekar had rudely interrupted it with a small zap to the arm. "I mean, you'd think he'd have a house or something…maybe he's in one of the caves in the cliffs?"

"Actually, I think I've heard about this place before a long time ago," Razekar stated, walking towards the edge of the plateau. "Now if I remember right…"

The thief with the mismatched eyes thrust his long arm forward, and acted only mildly surprised when part of his arm vanished from sight.

Falcon, Kir, Stir, Cassis, and even Dalios looked shocked.

Jing didn't seem too impressed.

"So it's your typical illusion, huh?" the black-haired boy concluded, strolling over to where Razekar stood with part of his arm supposedly missing.

"Well then, shall we go in?" asked Razekar, lowering his arm and watching it reappear.

"Don't see why not. Train's already left anyway," replied the bandit in the blazing coat, as he casually hopped off the plateau and vanished like he had been only a mirage himself.

IIIIIIIII

When Jing had jumped past the thin illusion, he found himself steadily descending into unlimited blackness. Vaguely he expected the others to abruptly appear in the dark, also sinking, also shivering at the unanticipated absence of warmth, but no one came. Or maybe he just couldn't see them for the lack of light?

He shivered as an unrelenting cold ensnared him, burrowed under his skin, his heart.

_Wait…I know this feeling…it's…it's the…_

His body suddenly jolted, as the black-haired boy started to turn around and kick towards the surface of the black. He couldn't remember what this was, but it was bad, very bad. He had to get out of here, get out of here fast. But it was like a almighty panther was pushing down on his shoulders; he felt heavier after every kick…

Then he felt someone grab his right hand. It was Stir, hovering just above him with a concerned look on her face. The boy in the blazing coat gave her a mildly confounded gaze. Had he been sinking? But he had been kicking upward…why couldn't he stop shaking? And why couldn't he move his legs anymore?

There was a flash of gold in the distance, and a sudden shift in the ambiance of the dark. Stir noticed it too, and snapped her head in the direction of the strange blaze. There was nothing more for a while.

Then suddenly everything burst into color, ever color imaginable. It was like paints of all hues had been poured carelessly onto the surface of the black, and were now running together into a mass of chaotic shades. It reminded him of something…

_The cat…it reminds me of…that cat…_

Then all his senses slipped away.

IIIIIIIII

Jing came to in a forest, a thick and dark forest. The scarce light that reached him was filtered through the thick emerald leaves, coloring whatever was within shades of deep green. He quickly sat up, and saw that Stir was nearby, along with everyone else. No, not everyone…

"Falcon!" he heard Dalios and Razekar call into the obscure woods, at different times with varying lengths. "Falcon!"

A certain black albatross noticed him sitting up.

"Hey, look who's up!" greeted Kir happily, flying over to the gray-eyed boy.

Stir and Cassis also hurried over.

"Hey, you okay? Stir said you didn't take that black void thing so well…"

"Yeah, I think so," replied the Bandit King, getting to his feet and shaking his head. "What was that though? I can't really remember…"

"Well, we don't really remember much ourselves…" Stir admitted. "I just remember finding you and you looked really sick. And something was wrong with your legs. Then there were a lot of colors, and then we're here in this forest."

"Then you didn't wake up when the rest of us did, and we couldn't get you to come to," added Cassis. "Though you weren't really out that much longer, really. Maybe fifteen minutes. Still, we were worried."

The black-haired boy looked up at the forest canopy

"I remember a flash of gold…"

"Can't you guys shut up for a minute?!" snapped Dalios, his eyes closed and his hand cupped to his ear.

"We're checking to make sure he's alright!" Cassis snapped back.

"I know that!" barked the white-haired youth. "But something's-"

Then they began to hear it too. Dark murmurings were leeching into the forest, crawling in from everywhere. Then the dark murmurings became black laughter, poisoning the air.

Suddenly the broad emerald leaves flooded with crimson, bathing the gang under Pharos in scarlet light. Slowly, sluggishly, faces began to appear in the trees, ravenous and sneering faces, as the voices grew ever louder.

The small pack of humans clustered together and took battle poses.

"My, you're certainly lovely little saplings though, aren't you?" asked one tree to the right, with a crackly female voice.

"Yes, fine specimens they are," agreed another tree to the left, its voice deeper and more masculine.

"They must carry excellent red sap."

One of the free limbs of the more feminine tree swiped down, its root-like hairs piercing and digging into the skin of Cassis's arm. The thin hairs became a crimson color.

As Cassis struggled against the tree's grip, Jing summoned his arm blade and slashed the branch. It fell motionlessly to the ground, though the scarred blonde still had to pry off the branch's hold on her arm. Cassis hastily retreated, some scarlet budding where the roots had dug into her skin. Some sap leaked from the sliced branch, the thick liquid mixed with some red.

The feminine tree, however, didn't seem intimidated, or even discouraged. In fact, the tree look rather satisfied.

"Ah yes, excellent red sap indeed."

"What kinda sicko trees are you?!" snapped Kir, who had flown over to check on Cassis.

"The superior kind, of course," replied the masculine tree. "And all of you will make superior stock."

"Stock?!" exclaimed Kir. "Now wait just a minute- "

"Of course we'll have to break those stubborn spirits of yours first," added the masculine tree, swinging one of his broader limbs towards the Bandit King.

The boy in the blazing coat swiftly leapt over the assault. While he was jumping away, he swiftly grabbed Kir with his right arm. Instantly Kir morphed into gun mode, and the thieving duo began to give off a bright green light. The thief with black hair pointed Kir at the masculine tree.

"Give me a Kir Royale!"

The attack hit its mark perfectly. The tree was incinerated…and blood splattered everywhere, including on the Bandit King's face. The gray-eyed boy looked surprised at first, but then he casually wiped the crimson of his face with his sleeve.

Another energy blast was ready to be fired.

"Give me a Kir Royale!"

The attack swiftly scorched the tree to the right in just as it was about to strike. It let out a loud yell as liquid crimson and sap seeped from its burnt and broken bark.

Then everything erupted into utter chaos. Trees limbs thrashed, weapons slashed the air, and screams exploded everywhere. Vampire branches probed for fresh prey in the reddened darkness, while counterattacks were prepared swiftly.

Dalios and Razekar were backed up against each other as a gang of tree arms were swiping at them, trying to dig their vampiric roots into them. Judging by the little streaks of liquid scarlet staining their clothes, the trees had already succeeded a few times.

"We're gonna be freaking anemic by the time we get outta here," growled Dalios, unleashing a stream of acid from his whip to drive the wooden arms back.

"Well, they don't seem to like my blood too much," mentioned Razekar, as one set of vampiric roots suddenly shot back after only being under his skin for a few moments. "They seem to think my 'red sap' tastes nasty. So if things go badly maybe I'll at least have enough strength left to get you fellas outta here."

"Lucky you. They just love mine," growled the red-clad boy, pulling off some eager blood-sucking hairs from his arm as he spoke.

"Couldn't you get Rolly to siphon some blood from the trees so he can inject some back into us later?" suggested the lanky bandit, now activating his electric blade from the metal band on his wrist and slashing at the bark-skinned arms. The corgi puppy mentioned was currently biting hard into one of the bigger tree's limbs, snarling as the tree tried to shake it off.

"Do you know what the blood types of Jing and the others are?" asked Dalios.

"Can't say I do," Razekar admitted, cutting off an especially large tree limb and getting a bit of its so-called red sap on him. "Now that I think of it, I don't even know what my own blood type is…"

"What?! Didn't you ever ask the doctors back at Magnum Pharos's palace?!"

"Nope. Never crossed my mind."

Dalios sighed before barely evaded a downward strike.

"Well, more importantly, we don't know what kind of blood these trees have," the emerald-eyed boy continued. "They could be AB type since they seem to be able to take any kind of blood, but they could also just convert all blood they take to type Z for all I know. I don't have experience with plant blood types because, you know, they usually don't exist."

"I see," Razekar responded. "Oh well, it was worth a shot."

Just then a stray Kir Royale attack struck a tree just behind Dalios. The white-haired youth was sent flying past the circle of trees by the leftover force of the blast. He landed roughly on his back.

"Owww…"

"Dal! You okay?" called Razekar.

"Yeah," Dalios answered, before noticing two figures out of the corner of his eye.

They were young, a boy and a girl, and were hiding behind the rotting remains of a fallen tree. The girl, what he could see of her, had scared blue eyes and long hair that matched the color of cherry blossoms. The boy was taller, since Dalios could see more of his head, with scruffy blond hair, ice-blue eyes, tanned skin, and a red band wrapped around his head. Masterless white hares hurried over to the boy and hopped around him ecstatically.

"What're you guys doing out here?!" the boy snapped at the rabbits, causing them to cower at his feet. "If they catch you out here they'll make you lunch for sure!"

Dalios recognized the voice immediately.

"Falcon!" called the white-haired youth.

The blond boy and pink-haired girl snapped their heads in Dalios's direction, lwide-eyed like foxes in a trap.

"Dammit!" snapped the boy who had to be Falcon, grabbing the rabbits. "It's not worth it! Just go! Go!"

With that terrified command both children fled into the darkness. When the boy got up and began to run, the emerald-eyed boy noticed he wore dark red instead of cobalt blue.

"Falcon!" Dalios called out again. "Hey Falcon, where are you going?! Fal-"

Suddenly something heavy hit him from behind, and his senses were smashed.

IIIIIIIII

"Uuuugh…"

Dalios found himself blinking at the ceiling of a cave, trying to figure out how he got to where he was in the first place. After he was done dumbly staring at the ceiling, he sat up and rubbed his head. Rolly rushed over and started licking Dalios's face without the youth's consent.

"How're you feeling Dal?"

The emerald-eyed boy turned to Razekar, who was casually strolling over to where he sat.

"Eh, I've felt better, but I've felt worse too," the short youngster replied, his head still throbbing somewhat. "Where are we anyway? And what happened?"

"Well, right now we're in this cave that's right outside the bloodsucker forest we escaped somehow," the young man with golden-orange hair answered, plopping down on the cave floor next to Dalios. "And you got hit on the back of the head with a tree limb while you were yelling your head off at something. What _were_ you yelling at, anyway?"

"Uuuh…" the red-clad boy began groggily, before he snapped out of his stupor. "Oh yeah! I saw him! I saw Falcon!"

"You did?"

"Yeah!"

"Was he okay?"

"Yeah, he seemed alright," responded Dalios. "But he ran! There I was calling to him with that huge battle raging behind me and he ran! What the heck?!"

"Huh, that is strange," Razekar stated, folding his arms. "Falcon never turns down a fight, especially when his pals are involved."

"Yeah, well, that's true," Dalios admitted, stroking the ever-hyper Rolly. "You know, there was this girl with him too. Nobody I knew though. Some chick with pink hair and blue eyes."

"That so?" asked the young man with golden-orange hair, smirking mischievously. "Well, that might explain why he ran. Maybe he didn't want his lady getting hurt."

"Well, he could've at least said hi or something instead of just dashing off with the chick as soon as he saw me," grumbled the white-haired youth. "Oh yeah, his outfit was different too. He had on red instead blue."

"Red instead of blue, huh?" Razekar asked, looking more somber. "That's interesting. I haven't seen him wear red since-"

"I see you're up."

Dalios and Razekar turned to Jing, Kir, Stir, and Cassis, who had just arrived from outside.

"How are you?" asked Cassis, bat set on her shoulder.

"Fine," the white-haired youth replied, trying to prevent Rolly from licking off his face. "So, you guys find anything interesting in your stroll outside?"

"Yep, plenty of things," answered Jing.

"Such as?"

Well, perhaps it's best that you see it for yourselves," suggested the Bandit King.

IIIIIII

"…Whoa."

"The gang under Pharos gazed down into the valley below, the vampiric trees lurking just behind and below the cliff where they stood now.

It appeared to be your usual farmland at first, with plants lined up in nice little rows and people bending down to tend them. Upon closer inspection, however, the people were more than tending to the plants; they were food supplies. When the people were bending down, they were offering their arms to the plants so they could dig in their rots and draw blood. The people's expressions were lifeless as the plants took in their fill. For the smallest plants, animals were carried over by the humans to be drained. At the center of the field was a tree far larger than any other tree, a tree that burned with a brilliant blue flame.

"No wonder there's no wildlife anywhere," Dalios stated. "It's all been harvested and domesticated by the plants, even the temperamental human. And you'd think that'd be impossible."

"Oh, I dunno. Human spirits can be pretty easy to break," countered Jing.

"You don't think bunny boy is down in that mess, do you?" asked Cassis, squinting to get a better view of the people below.

"Probably," Dalios sighed. "Hey, there's that girl I saw with him!"

"Where?" the others asked.

"Right over there, letting those holly trees suck blood out of her," the emerald-eyed boy responded, pointing.

Standing near the base of one of the larger holly trees, vampiric roots attacked to the lower part of her arm, was a girl with pale pink hair. After the tree withdrew its roots, she began to pour glistening water onto the ground around the tree.

"Huh, she's a young one, isn't she?" commented Razekar. "Thought Falcon preferred the older girls…anyway, I don't see a sign of Falcon anywhere. You'd think a red outfit would stick out in a place like this…"

"I can't wear this out on the field, you know."

The gang under Pharos spun around, some seeming more surprised than others.

Falcon lurked on a stone ledge just above the entrance of the cave they'd been staying in. But instead of his usual friendly gaze, the fair-haired fighter glared down upon them with ice-hued eyes. And, like Dalios had said, his clothes weren't the normal blue, but a vicious red. And there was something else, something Dalios hadn't noted before…

_He looks younger, maybe about my age. But that means-_

"Aren't you those guys that were fighting the elder trees back there?" questioned the crimson-clad boy, still eyeing them suspiciously.

"Yeah, that was us," Jing confirmed casually.

"Would've been nice if you helped out too," growled Kir.

"Well I'm not stupid," Falcon replied, folding his arms and leering at the dark avian. "As much as I admire you guys for taking them on, I'm not about to risk my neck for a few strangers."

"Strangers?!" Kir balked. "Now listen here, Falcon - "

"And how do you guys know my new name?" asked the ice-eyed Chesirian. "I just came up with it a couple hours ago!"

"Huh?" the dark albatross responded dumbly, giving Falcon a blank stare. "Whaddaya-"

"What was your first name, then?" interrupted Jing, clamping his left hand over Kir's big beak without drawing too much attention to himself. The black avian squirmed in protest, but the Bandit King shot him a warning look that soon quelled him.

"Well, all I've been called before was _server-of-the-Falconburrs_," replied the fair-haired fighter, looking embarrassed at even mentioning it. "So I guess Falcon would be my first real name…"

"They don't even bother to give you names?" asked Cassis, sounding indignant.

"Of course not. We're just servants. Who gives servants names?" the boy with ice-hued eyes answered, glaring at the vegetation growing in the valley below.

"Can't they just absorb sunlight like good little plants?" asked Razekar.

"Well yeah, they can, but they like red sap better," stated the blond in crimson clothing. "Though some of the younger plants can barely use sunlight at all. It probably won't be long until they can only feed off of red sap."

Falcon's gaze wandered over to where the giant tree engulfed in brilliant blue flames stood.

"You know, there's a legend about it, the reason why the plants became blood-takers," he began, sounding almost serene. "Dunno if it's true, since the trees say it to keep us quiet, but it sounds real enough. You see, a long time ago there was this big war among the humans and the animals. Both sides took advantage of the defenseless trees and plants to fight their war, using them as food or to make weapons and forts. It was a very brutal war, and the ground was constantly soaked in red sap."

Falcon paused as he looked to the dark forest below the cliffside, the dark forest Jing and the others had barely escaped hours ago.

"There was so much red sap in the ground that the elder plants grew used to its taste. Then, as the war raged on, they began to like it," he continued. "It's said that it was all that red sap that gave the elder plants the ability to move and think. And the first thing they did when they were able to move and think was attack the vicious animals and humans that had been using them in their war. At first they simply preyed on the animals and humans. But after a while the elder plants realized the best way to control the animals and humans and stop them from destroying the land was to enslave them. And that's what the elder trees always say; that they rule over us because we can't rule over ourselves without devastating everything."

"That does kinda happen with us humans sometimes, doesn't it?" Razekar commented.

"Well, I don't believe in it," Falcon growled obstinately. "Anyway, there was one tree who was against all the other trees, saying that they would be no better than the humans and animals if they enslaved them, that plants weren't meant to take their red sap. It's said that as soon as the tree spoke, a lightning bolt fell from the sky and set it afire."

He turned back to the tree that burned brightly in the middle of the valley.

"They say that tree has burned since that day," the ice-eyed boy went on. "Forever doomed to hellfire because of the words that it said. I've never seen it go out once, not even in the pouring rain. As far as I know it's never spoken since that day either. You can't tell if it's dead or alive since it can't talk and can't bloom. Still, I've always admired that tree. It had the guts to speak out against the other trees that wanted nothing but red sap."

"Huh," Jing replied, folding his arms. "So now the trees around here just kidnap anyone they see, huh?"

"Yeah, pretty much, though how long they live depends on whether or not the elder trees think they're good stock or not," responded the fair-haired fighter, turning to the group once more. "I came from a cross between a female that was from a long line of purebreeding in the valley, and a male who drifted in one day and happened to have some pretty good red spa in him. Said he was Chesiri-something. Some weird name. I'm still considered a weed though, since I won't grow the way they want me too."

Razekar wore an unusually stoic expression on his face, while Dalios looked like he was going to be sick.

"What about that girl back there?" asked the white-haired youth. "Is she a friend of yours, or are you two going to be, uh, _crossed_…?"

Falcon's face turned bright red.

"What?! N-No! Holly is-"

"So she has a name?" questioned Razekar. "Is she one of those who got dragged into this place?"

"No, she's one of the pure-bred," corrected the crimson-clothed boy, still looking somewhat flustered. "I gave her a name a couple days ago. She's still getting used to it."

"You gave her a name before you gave one to yourself, huh?" interrogated the lanky thief, looking amused.

"Well, she deserved one more than I did!" Falcon snapped, though his eyes didn't look as vicious as before. "I mean, the elder trees are always putting her down, even though she's a purebred and has excellent red sap. The people here who have names from the outside world feel better about themselves, so I thought maybe I'd give her one to see if that would help…or something."

"Ah, I understand, my friend," responded Razekar.

"Why were you two in the woods earlier?" questioned Dalios.

The blond Chesirian was silent for a moment.

"…we were trying to escape…" he finally replied, looking a bit sulky. "But then you guys bust in and screwed everything up! Now all the trees are gonna be on high alert and it'll be impossible to get outta here! Holly's too scared to try anything else. I had a hard enough time convincing her to come with me earlier…"

"Well how were we supposed to know that you were trying to break out?!" snapped Cassis. "Like you said, we've never met."

"You guys still-"

"Yeah, I know, we screwed up," Razekar admitted, casually raising his arms up in defeat. "And since it's all our fault, how about we help you and Holly get outta here?"

"Huh?" responded Falcon, giving the young man with golden-orange hair a blank stare.

Everyone else but Jing was also giving Razekar curious looks.

"…Are you serious? Can you really do it?" asked the fair-haired fighter asked hopefully, even though his eyes remained cold.

"Hey, we broke in," responded Razekar. "I don't see why we can't break back out. Especially with you and Holly's knowledge on the area."

"Wow, that's awesome!" exclaimed the crimson-clothed boy, a childish look of excitement on his face that was more like the Falcon they knew. "I mean, I could tell you guys were really strong, and I thought of asking, but I figured-"

"Hey no problem," the lanky thief replied casually, as if it was a small favor. "It's best that we wait until dark, though. You can go tell Holly about it while we think of a plan, okay?"

"Sure!" the blond boy chirped, before running off.

When the fair-haired fighter was completely out of sight, the young man with mismatched eyes turned to the rest of the group and sighed.

"…Now for the real problem."

IIIIIII

"So we got taken back into the past?"

"I certainly hope not," Razekar responded, as he and Dalios watched Rolly running around them in circles. "That would mean we've already interfered with history, and that's never a good thing…"

"Oh, I doubt we've left our present time," disagreed Jing, who was picking at the cave wall with his blade. He had been chipping away at the stone since they had returned to the cave, and had made a surprising amount of progress.

"You're gonna break your blade doing that," warned Stir, sharpening her own sword.

"…What _are_ you doing anyway?" asked Cassis, who was polishing her own bat.

"Oh, just confirming something," he answered enigmatically, suddenly stopping his assault on the wall.

A small but steady trickle of color bled from the wound in the wall. The others looked surprised and confused at this odd occurrence. Some of the multi-hued essence was dripping off the Bandit King's blade.

"Hey, that looks like those colors I saw before we ended up here," stated Stir.

"Is that so?" the gray-eyed thief answered, studying the substance slowly oozing off his weapon. "Kir and I encountered a cat monster that used this stuff against us once. Both Kir and myself got sucked under the colors briefly. When we were talking about it later, Kir said that when he got caught by the colors, he had a vivid dream of being back in Amarcord as his younger self, with the ten-year-old Cassis and me. I suspect that's what's happening here. We're in Falcon's lucid dream caused by the substance leaking through the wall here. Or perhaps lucid nightmare would be more accurate."

"But wait, how come we're stuck in Falcon's dream world?" asked Dalios. "I mean, shouldn't we be in our own dream worlds?"

"Hmm…good question," answered Cassis. "I don't know. Maybe this place could only handle one person's head at a time?"

"Maybe," Stir responded, sheathing her now-prepared sword. "By the way, when's Kir going to be done surveying the area from the sky?"

"Hmm...shouldn't be too much longer," the black-haired bandit answered, now cleaning his blade carefully with a cloth he had pulled out of his pocket.

"Oh, and Jing?"

"Yes Stir?"

"You said both of you went under, when you were fighting the cat monster," stated the silver-eyed princess. "So you were in a dream world too. What was it like for you?"

The Bandit King stayed silent as he gazed up to the cave ceiling.

"…You know, I really don't remember."

**52****nd**** Shot: The Trepidation**

"Oh great, it's getting dark out."

Kir gazed down from far above, hunting for any possible shortcuts they could use or especially large trees to avoid. Up ahead a red-and-orange sunset stained the sky.

The black albatross knew it was time to return. Being night-blind, he would have a lot of trouble finding his way back if he took too much longer. It certainly wouldn't be a good thing if he ended up stumbling into a thick group of trees while he couldn't see anything…

Just as he began to arrive back at the cliffside that contained the cave, he noticed a figure sitting not far off, an animal figure. As he carefully glided closer, making sure to keep plenty of distance between him and it, he could make out that the animal was a large fox with white fur and nine billowing tails.

_Is that…Sherry?_

Sherry was also a Burdensome Gun beast, just as he was. However, unlike Kir, she didn't care for other's lives, not even the master she had abandoned back at Adonis. He had always wondered what had become of the white kitsune after that, and it seemed he had just gotten his answer. But what was she doing here?

As the dark avian pondered how to past the colorless fox without her noticing, he suddenly realized that her yellow eyes were locked onto him. Then she leapt high, at least as high as he was flying at, and landed on a small ledge on the higher part of the rough cliffside. Sitting down as she had been before, her cold gaze burrowed into the dark albatross.

Now Kir knew something was wrong. Her face was thin, far too thin even for a fox, and her ribs were all too pronounced and visible. Her fur, meant to be bluish-white, had a yellow tinge to it. The irises of her golden eyes were lined with red at the edges. If she wasn't here breathing in front of him, the black avian would have thought he'd seen her corpse.

The mangled kitsune continued to leer at him like she was eager to eat him up.

"Uh…hi there, Sherry," Kir squeaked, backing up slowly. "You know, you don't look so good. Did you get attacked by those trees too?"

The white fox bearing nine tails smirked coolly, the first sign of a soul that the black albatross had seen out of her.

"Don't be afraid, little one," she spoke in an almost teasing manner. "I'm not here to eat you. I'm simply here to tell you something."

Kir eyed her suspiciously.

"To tell me what?"

The starved fox lifted her head slightly. The smirk disappeared.

"Interfere all you like…" she began. "…but you will not change the past. You cannot save the damned. You cannot defeat the evil of the world. You cannot change the land or its people. All of that was already determined long before you got involved. Your presence will alter things, of course, but it doesn't change what the ultimate destination will be. You will just arrive there through a slightly different path."

She closed her harrowingly yellow eyes, and the cool smirk returned.

"That being said, you are more than welcome to try."

Then she vanished from view without so much as an echo in her wake.

IIIIIIII

"You saw Sherry?"

"Of course I saw her!" Kir snapped at the Bandit King sitting on the cave floor. "How couldn't I see a white nine-tailed fox staring me in the face?!"

"Night blindness?"

"Besides that!" barked the black albatross. "Seriously though, what do you think she's doing here, Jing?"

"Maybe she's part of Falcon's memories," guessed Dalios, lying flat across his back and staring at the stone ceiling. ""I mean, nine-tailed foxes are supposed to live over a thousand years, so it wouldn't be much of a stretch."

"But she acted like she knew this place wasn't real," the dark avian pointed out.

"Well, a lot of living things are supposed to be trapped in here by Leonidas, human and animal, so maybe she's been stuck here for awhile," offered Razekar, watching the sky grow dark outside. "That would explain why she looked so ragged, right? Not much nutritional value in an illusion world."

"I'm more concerned about what she said," stated Dalios, sitting up. "We can't change what happens no matter what we do? I guess it makes sense, considering this is just a memory world and the past's already happened…"

"Well, we're just kinda playing along anyway," replied the lanky thief, leaning against the cave wall. "If we can get Falcon somewhere where we don't have bloodthirsty plants looming over our heads, maybe he'll remember us."

"If that was really Falcon that we talked to."

Razekar and Dalios turned to the gray-eyed bandit, now sitting cross-legged on the cave floor.

"What do you mean?" asked the white-haired youth.

"Well, we know that everything here except us is formed from the colors, just like these cave walls," Jing began, placing one hand on the cool cave surface where the scar caused by his blade was all but gone. "Usually when you have a dream, you see yourself as if you were being watched from a higher point of view. So which one is the real you, the one in the dream or the one watching the dream?"

"I see what you're saying," Razekar replied. "If the place itself is nothing but a memory, then the people and plants in it would be nothing but memories too, including the Falcon of this memory. And besides, assuming that finding Falcon and waking him up is the key to getting out of here, the younger Falcon would be a bit obvious, wouldn't he? All you'd have to do is knock him out and the whole place would become unstable, and then it would probably be pretty easy to break the spell entirely. But if he's not inside his memory self, then where is he?"

"He'd have to be somewhere pretty secure, something hard to find or attack," Dalios mused. "People and animals in general are too vulnerable, so he's probably hidden somewhere in the environment itself. Might've already past him for all we know."

"So he could be anywhere then," Razekar sighed.

As the young man with golden-orange hair looked outside, he spotted the younger Falcon running up to the cave.

"So are we sticking to the plan of helping the dream Falcon out?" asked Stir.

"It'll give us the excuse to destroy and investigate stuff," Razekar answered.

"Allright then," responded The Bandit King, rising to his feet. "Showtime."

IIIIIIII

"This way."

The gang under Pharos carefully followed the younger Falcon over the sharp rocks and serrated stones. Here in this hidden path the ground was so buried in large boulders that only the most primal mosses could grow there. These simple plants would eventually break down all these mighty boulders into all-too-fertile soil for more vampiric plants to grow in, but for now this path was blood-free.

"There's a big cave not far ahead," Falcon explained, keeping his ice-hued eyes fixed on the rough pathway ahead. "That's what Holly and I used last time to get into the edge of the elder forest. I guess it was kinda stupid going that way before, but now a lot of the trees are hurt, so it shouldn't be too bad. Especially for you guys."

"Anything else we should keep an eye out for?" asked Razekar.

"Well, it's easy to get lost in the cave since it branches out everywhere," added the fair-haired fighter. "So we'll need to stick pretty close, or we'll spend a week trying to find each other."

"Where's your girlfriend?" asked Razekar.

"She'll be waiting for us in the cave."

"I see," replied the lanky young man. "I assume that's the cave up ahead?"

"Yeah."

It was a real monster of a hole, nestled inside that flat cliff face surrounded by dead weeds. The black mouth yawned widely, as if lazily awaiting a meal.

"You guys ready?" the blond Chesirian asked.

"Yep," replied Jing, as the others caught up to him.

"Then let's go!" announced the crimson-clad boy, as they all dashed into the dark throat of the cave.

They were only a few feet in when they were greeted by blinding light.

"W-What?!" exclaimed Falcon, flinging his arms up to shield his eyes from the brightness.

The searing illumination shone down from the broad white flowers, the blossoms belonging to hundreds of vines that clung and writhed across the cavern walls. Though it was hard to see through all the radiance, these flowers had faces that sneered like naughty schoolchildren and laughter like deranged pigs. As the group of humans was trying to adjust their eyes to the overwhelming brightness, several vines rose up behind them and gagged the cave mouth shut.

"My, what a bad little sapling you've been, trying to save these weeds," hissed one of the childish vines, though nobody could tell with one had spoken among the wormish mass. "The elders are gonna be so mad at you! Tee hee!"

Jing and the others all drew their weapons and got into battle positions.

Before any grand melee could commence, however, black vines erupted from the ground like so many ghastly snakes and bound them where they stood. Under the tug of the vines they were forced to kneel down. The blossoming vines that clung to the ceiling and walls cackled like banshees.

"I assume this didn't happen last time," Dalios spoke dryly, glaring at the black vines clutching him and struggling.

"Of course not!" snapped the iced-eyed Chesirian, his sudden outburst causing the vines to squeeze tighter. "But how'd they find out? I just discovered this a couple days ago…"

"So you want to know, do you?"

As the ground quivered under their feet, a thick black vine erupted from the rock. Its face was more reptilian than humanoid, and was encircled by brilliant orange-and-red petals that fanned out like a flaming mane. It bore an insincere smile.

"It's one of the meristems connected to the elder trees," Falcon explained, leering at the massive plant swaying hypnotically in front of him. "Originally they preyed upon the trees too, stealing their nutrients and sunlight. But once the elder trees awakened, they ensnared the meristems and made them do their bidding, feeding them red sap if they did a good job. Now they depend on the red sap, so they're integrated with the trees and act as their familiars."

The giant, almost serpentine head slithered across the rough floor, sizing up each of the captives up close with its unpleasant grin. It stopped last at Falcon.

"Don't you want to know?" it hissed again, its elongated black face only inches apart from the fair-haired fighter's.

"Not really," growled the ice-eyed Chesirian. "But you're gonna tell me anyway, aren't you?"

The nearly dragon-like visage looked displeased, but then its cocky smile returned and it rose up.

"Come, dear flower."

The brightness suddenly shifted on a shaking Holly nearby, surrounded by other, smaller black vines. They did not bind her, however.

Falcon froze.

"…Holly?"

She did not lift up her head.

"…I'm sorry. It's just…you'll die out there…by yourself. There are no plants out there, and we need the plants as much as they need us. We saplings are meant to stay here and tend to the elders…"

"No we're not! We're meant to have our own lives! Holly-"

"Don't call me that."

The fair-haired fighter was struck dumb.

"I don't need a name. I'm simply a flower bred to tend the holly trees, nothing more. I desire nothing more."

The crimson-clad boy opened his mouth to say something, but the words hid in his throat and he let his head droop.

"I think our flower has made her point," spoke the head of the black vine, grotesque face sneering. "Take these weeds away."

**53****rd**** Shot: Green, Blue, Red, Absolute Black**

"Well, that worked out just brilliantly, huh?"

Dalios glared up at the ceiling of his prison, the backbone of a magnificent beast long dead. Its ribcage served as the bars of an actual cage cell for the emerald-eyed boy. He was bound with tightly twisted animal skin reinforced with pieces of bone; the plants would not use the dead parts of their own kind, after all.

The others were nearby, contained in their own ribcage cells, with the burning tree of blue flames not far off in the distance. Stir was glaring at the bone bars in deep concentration, as if her sheer will was enough to make them bow towards her and break. Cassis was still struggling against her fur-and-bone bonds and muttering angrily. Kir, in a much smaller ribcage maybe about the size of a small tiger, tried to tear away at his furry straightjacket with his beak. Rolly was in a similar ribcage nearby, gnawing at the bones. Jing sat in his ribcage cell perfectly calm. It was hard to tell what Razekar was thinking, since he was wrapped up like a mummy in an electric-proof fur. Falcon gazed straight ahead in a stupor.

"What're they gonna do with us?!" Kir asked, now squirming like a worm in the furry skin wrapped snugly around his little body.

"Put us to work in the fields, I guess," responded Dalios, looking at the starry sky peeking down between the bone bars. "But then again, we did kill quite a few of their kind back in the forest, so they just might steal all our blood and cast us aside."

"I doubt they'd do either," stated Falcon, his first words since their capture. "We're too dangerous for field work, but trees don't believe in killing anything they can use. They'll probably put us to sleep with the spores of the meristems. It won't kill us, but we'll never wake up again. Then the elder trees will keep us alive enough to feed off our red sap while we're comatose. They have many captive weeds they eat off of like that."

The fair-haired fighter began to shake with fury.

"It's better to die in the wasteland. I told her that. I told her…"

While Falcon muttered to himself, Kir turned to Jing.

"What'll we do now? We'll never find the real Falcon if we're slumbering like sleeping beauties in this dreamland."

"Well, it won't do any good breaking out now," responded Jing, looking at the myriad trees surrounding the prison site. "Everyone's too tired to fend off those trees now, with all the traveling and battling we've been doing since we got here. And with the steady stream of blood the trees receive, there's no advantage to facing them at night."

Kir let out a grunt and banged against the ribcage with one of his feet.

"Being put to sleep with spores wouldn't be much help, but a little natural shuteye should do us all wonders," added the Bandit King, lying down. "See you in the morning, Kir."

He was taken under by slumber before he even heard Kir's reply.

IIIIIIIII

He stood before a great crowd, Jing and the black paper wings strapped to his back. He bore a friendly smile as he bowed to the spectators from his white pedestal.

He rushed forward, slipping into the mass of people, and resurfacing a few moments later back on his pedestal. Smiling, he lifted up a trio of wallets and a silver watch. The people who owned those items hastily searched themselves to see if their possessions were really gone. The dumbfounded looks made the other people in the crowd laugh. Then the boy with dust-hued eyes and paper wings tossed the items back to their masters.

Once again he dove into the crowd, and once again he reappeared on the pedestal. This time he held up a deck of cards and a stuffed bear on a keychain. The oblivious victims stared at their taken objects and searched themselves in disbelief. The crowd laughed again, and the boy with dust-hued eyes once again tossed back the items to their masters.

Then he looked up to the sky. He stretched his right hand up, straining to reach the starry night. Suddenly he closed his fist, and his hand sparkled with starlight. The unearthly light flowed down his arm, also causing it to glow, and the boy smiled. As he thrust his arm and opened his hand to release the shining dust, his whole body was possessed by the ethereal radiance. The crowd cheered as the stardust fell upon them like snow. The starlight faded from the boy's body.

But now the boy was different. The black paper wings that had been strapped to his back were now real, just as living and bound to him as all the other limbs of his body. And now the boy's face couldn't be seen, for it was covered by a mask of a violet cat with green swirly eyes, bearing a green toothy grin that was far too wide to be sane.

Taking advantage of his majestic black wings, the Bandit King lifted himself into the air and hovered above the crowd, disregarding the white pedestal altogether.

He swooped over the crowd, causing them to cry out and scatter. The boy bearing the false face turned around, brilliant emeralds and blazing sapphires resting in his hands. The crowd gasped and murmured excitedly among itself. The owner of the jewels yelped and searched himself. Casually the Bandit King let the jewels slide from his hands, leaving them to be caught by whoever could catch them.

Then the boy with the feline face hovered over to two men, one with a happy grin on his face and one with a sad frown. Floating just above the mortal ground, the Bandit King went to the happy man. With one simple pulling motion, he took the man's happiness from him and gave it to the sad man standing right next to him. Now the sad man grinned widely while the happy man broke into tears. The crowd was silent.

Then the Bandit King hovered to a nearby girl with sleepy eyes. With a swift snatching movement he stole the girl's attention and made her look at him and only him. When the boy with majestic black wings was satisfied, or perhaps bored, for it was impossible to read his emotions through the mask, he let go of her attention and moved on. The crowd was silent.

Then an angry beast-man stomped up to him, snarling. The Bandit King glided over to the beast man, the mask giving the creature a mocking grin. Before the beast-man could even lift a clawed paw, however, the boy with the majestic black wings performed a single slice with his bare right arm. As the beast-man fell to the ground and the air around the boy grew frosty, the Bandit King stuffed the stolen life into his pocket. The crowd was silent.

Then he flew high into the black sky robbed of light, and did a grand sweeping motion over the crowd. All of them stood stone still as a great golden sphere formed in the Bandit King's hand. As the crowd stared at him lifelessly, the grinning feline face gazed down upon all the desires stolen from the crowd, all their dreams, wills, thoughts. He felt a chill sinking into his body, his heart, but the Bandit King did not care.

But it suddenly became hard to stay aloft. There was ice forming on his hair and clothes. His wings were becoming nothing but ice. The mask was freezing to his face. As the feathers turned to scales of cold crystal, he felt himself falling, falling…

He was pinned to the white ground by the weight of his ice wings, now nothing but cold sculptures grafted into his back. There was no crowd.

There was no one.

He screamed for them. He screamed for Kir, for Stir, for Cassis, for his mother. Or at least he thought he did. With the frosty mist flooding his mind he wasn't sure. That was his voice screaming, right? But it sounded so different…

But maybe he just whispered, for no one came. Or maybe no one could hear him through the thick mask on his face.

As he lay there, trembling and trapped, he saw that cat monster, the one with the torn body bleeding liquid rainbow and the mask matching his own. It hovered around him mockingly, spreading its colors all around him. Then it stopped right in front of his quivering form and came right up to his feline face, their grinning facades nearly touching.

"They're so mean, aren't they?" asked the cat monster in a childish, hissy voice, though its green teeth never moved. "All of those people that liked you, and yet none of them came back to help you."

He tried to say something, but all that came out was a shivering gasp.

"Yes, the world is so mean. All people care about are themselves. They don't care what happens to someone like you. They'll just find someone else to replace you," the cat continued. "But you know that. Whoever stops to help you, they always leave. They always do. They're so mean."

The cat hovered out of Jing's sight, but he could barely sense its frosty presence hanging over his back.

"But that's okay. You don't need them," the feline bearing the false face remarked. "After all, you're the Bandit King. Bandit Kings don't need anyone. Bandit Kings are strong. Bandit Kings are invincible. Bandit Kings don't need to feel."

Thin tendrils of color attached to his back, his frozen wings, his hands, his legs, the back of his head. He felt his body go numb wherever they touched and took hold. He felt so cold, but he couldn't shiver anymore.

"And all the Bandit King needs to do is steal. All we need to do is steal."

As the cat's torn body rose, he was ordered to rise by the strings of color. Like a marionette, the cat set his limp body on his feet by tugging on the threads of hues.

"You don't need anyone else."

Suddenly Stir and Cassis appeared before them, their weapons drawn.

Upon the command of the filaments, his right hand snapped too fast to his side, his hand turned down too hard to summon his blade.

Stir and Cassis took fighting positions.

"…no…I don't…want…" he whispered weakly, but his faint words were swallowed by the all-too-wide smile of his mask.

"We don't need anyone else," hissed the cat.

With a few jerks of the strings, his body was compelled to rush forward, the surface of his metallic blade reflecting the colors and the cat's sneering false face.

IIIIII

Jing wasn't sure what broke the nightmare, but it was probably the screams.

When he opened his eyes, there was nothing but blue light, blue light from the blue flames that engulfed everything. It didn't feel hot, oddly, but maybe that was just him feeling cold. Then there were the screeches, the wails of the trees that were now the food, the lifeblood of this unnatural blaze. Voices grew and faded, but the river of screams itself never ceased.

Then he realized he was being carried by Razekar, with the others all around them. They were running at full speed.

"…What's going on?" he asked.

Razekar paid a quick glance to the gray-eyed boy he was carrying, looking a tad bit surprised.

"Well, look who's finally awake! You've had the old bird and the ladies worried sick, you know," the lanky thief stated, slowing down. "Think you can walk?"

"Yep," the Bandit King replied, slipping out of Razekar's grasp, landing on ground gracefully, and dashing ahead to Stir and Cassis.

"Jing!" both called out, looking relieved.

A certain dark avian also hovered over to him.

"Hey, you're okay!" Kir chirped. "I knew you'd pull out of it! When I get my hands on that Sherry…"

"Sherry?"

"Yeah, there was something in the woods…"

"Of course there was! It was Sherry! I saw her lurking in the woods, right after you fell asleep," the black albatross explained. "She must've put you under some kind of spell or something, because we couldn't wake you up, even with all the fire around…"

"Why is the forest on fire, by the way?" Jing interjected almost innocently.

"Oh, Falcon did that," Dalios answered dryly. "He broke us all out and then went over to that big burning tree. He took a stick, put the tip of it in that blue fire, and starting lighting up trees with it. Said it couldn't be put out, so it'd be great for punishing the trees with."

Suddenly a burning branch began to fall.

"Look out!" shouted Razekar, abruptly glowing white with power and firing a lightningbolt. The thunderjolt incinerated the plummeting branch, and struck the ancient burning tree whose flames had been the source of the blue blaze all around them. The surface bark cracked, and vivid colors freely bled from the wound.

Dalios's eyes narrowed.

_Just a crack and color spills out? Jing had to dig a good deal into the cave wall before he even got a trickle. And all these other trees are burning and falling apart, but there's not a drop of color from them. So why does this tree leak color so easily? Unless…_

"Raze!" the white-haired youth yelled. "Aim more lightning bolts at that tree!"

"Eh?" replied the thief with mismatched eyes.

"But what if the tree falls on us?!" Kir exclaimed. "And what good would it do us anyway? We gotta get outta here!"

Jing studied the injured tree for a bit, and then grabbed Kir with his right arm. The black albatross instantly metamorphosed into gun mode, and was pointed at the ancient tree.

"Jing, what're you-"

"I think Dalios may be onto something," replied the gray-eyed boy, as the world cackled with azure light all around them. "You ready, Kir? Razekar?"

"Yeah, I'm ready," the young man with golden-orange hair answered, charging up once more.

"I don't really get this," the dark avian grumbled. "But whatever, I'm ready."

Jing smirked as the thieving duo began to give off green light to fend off the overwhelming blue. White electricity gathered in Razekar's palms.

"Give me a Kir Royale!"

"Hiyaaaaaah!"

The dual energy attacks struck the center of the trunk of the burning tree. The bark gave way, and buckets of color burst forth from the broken tree. And with all that color washed up Falcon, the real Falcon.

The world's colors inverted.

All the vengeful flames, the incessant screams of the plants, the coiling smoke, froze like a memory put on ice when the hues warped. Dalios and Razekar had rushed over to where the real Falcon was getting up and shaking his head.

"Ooh man, what kinda freaky dream was that?" the fair-haired fighter moaned as he gathered his bearings. "Haven't dreamt about that place in forever. And what was everyone doing there? They never…"

"Hey Falcon, you okay?" asked Razekar, as Falcon shook off the remaining liquid hues that were slipping off him.

"My head kinda hurts, but otherwise I'm okay," answered the cobalt-clad Chesirian. "What happened anyway? And where-"

Falcon froze as he finally saw his snapshot-stopped surroundings for the first time.

"W-What? But this place, I…"

"Yeah, we know," Razekar interrupted. "We saw it. We kinda ended up having a trip through your head. Not of our own free will, mind you."

The blue-eyed blonde averted his gaze to the color-soaked ground.

"Then you guys…"

Snapping sounds were heard as cracks formed across the black sky, the stagnant flames, the ancient tree itself.

"…I'm sorry…you had to see that…"

Then everything broke, shattering like gunshot glass. As the fragments fell away, the overwhelming sea of hues was slowly revealed, searing to the eyes and mind. As the last fragments were reabsorbed into the vivid essence, everyone found themselves falling, falling…

**54****th ****Shot: Nowhere Boy**

Next thing they were aware of, all of them were falling headfirst in a sapphire-blue realm, whitish whirlpools spinning rapidly below.

"Uh…where are we?" Falcon asked dumbly, staring at the whirlpools below.

"Don't ask me," Dalios growled, leering at the area below with his arms crossed. "But I'm willing to bet it'll really suck if we end up in one of those whirlpools..."

"Probably," Jing replied casually, blazing coat flapping behind him as he fell. "Kir, lend me your wings."

"Uh, I'd love to, but…"

The black-haired boy looked over to the black albatross, wrapped up tightly in a straightjacket.

"Hmm…that is a problem…"

"Get ready, fellas!" Razekar warned. "We're about to take the plunge."

The whirlpools were almost on top of them.

Only, as the gang under Pharos soon found out, they weren't really whirlpools.

Instead, they landed, hard, one the smooth surface of one of the larger so-called whirlpools, which was more akin to glass than water. Several times they were spun around before being flung off in all different directions, landing on smaller and slow-twirling discs.

"Ooooh…"

"My head…"

"Too much spinning…"

"What happened…?"

"Somebody make this stupid thing stop…"

"...guess it was better than hitting water, anyway…"

"What is with this place, anyway?"

"I wanna get off…"

Lying flat on his back, Jing looked up to where they had fallen from.

"Look, there's an exit up there," he stated, pointing upward without getting up.

The others looked up as well.

The whirlpools were a part of a long spiraling chain that steadily went upward. At the very top was a white speck of light among the dark blue. Right then they were on the next-to-last set of glass discs.

"Sounds good to me!" Falcon chirped, somewhat unsteadily getting to his feet. "Well, let's get start-"

The disc under Falcon's feet suddenly sped up, causing him to topple over face first.

"...ed."

Stir sighed.

"This is going to be interesting…"

IIIIII

"WAAAAAH!"

Kir, still a prisoner to his straightjacket, plummeted from one of the higher swirling discs and onto the glass whirlpool that Cassis was attempting to balance on. She tripped over the dark avian instead, letting out a yelp as before she belly-flopped onto the glass whirlpool.

"This is getting really annoying…" grumbled the scarred blonde, as she began to pick herself up, again.

"Tell me about it," agreed Dalios, as he and Rolly were running like hamsters on a treadmill on the rapidly-spinning disc he was on. The disc soon stopped, giving the red-clad boy and his dog a chance to catch their breath, and then both were jerked off their feet as it began to spin just as fast in the opposite direction. The emerald-eyed boy groaned while the orange corgi whined.

"I dunno, I think it's kinda fun," replied Razekar, carefully jumping from one spinning whirlpool to another. "Good exercise."

"Speak for yourself," growled Falcon, falling over once again as the crystal disc he was on sped up without warning. "I think I'm gonna hurl…"

"Well, don't hurl on my then," the young man with golden-orange hair responded casually.

"But you know, we got all those injuries when were fighting those vampire plants," Dalios began, noticing Falcon wince at his words. "But once we got here, they were all gone. Not even any stains on our clothes…"

"You know, you got a point," Razekar stated, examining his clothes and tripping on the whirlpool's grooves while he was distracted. "Maybe going to a new place resets your health? After all, that world wasn't real…"

Jing, up above, was vigilantly steadying himself on an especially large disc. Just as he stabilized his balance, Stir came flying from the left and crashed into him, knocking him over like a bowling pin and leaving them both sprawled out on the disc.

"You two behave yourselves up there!" Razekar called from below, smirking.

"Well perhaps you should mind your own business," the Bandit King answered back, looking down at the lanky young man through the mostly-see-through glass disc.

"If I don't mind your business, I'm sure Miss Cassis will do it for me," the thief with golden-orange hair answered.

The gray-eyed boy seemed to think about this for a moment.

"True. Oh well."

The boy in the blazing coat managed to get back to his feet and dusted himself off. Then his gaze wandered over to the princess's silver eyes and lingered there for a few moments.

**You don't need anyone else.**

The black-haired boy shook his head. Stir gave him a curious look. The disc they were standing on was beginning to shrink.

"Go ahead," he told her, smiling. "I'll be right there."

Stir stayed where she was, watching him.

He found himself in her silver eyes again. He couldn't look away.

**We don't need anyone else.**

He shook his head more vigorously.

"Jing?" she asked. The disc was maybe half its original size.

"I'm fine. Just go."

**They always leave. They always do.**

_But I don't want to lose them. I want them to stay._

"No, you're not fine!" Stir cut in. "You weren't fine in the void, you weren't fine when you couldn't wake up in Falcon's world, and you're not fine now. What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"Stop lying!"

For a moment he was back in the dream, pinned under his wings of ice, with no one…

_I don't want…to be…_

"Uh, guys, you might wanna move," Falcon's voice spoke from somewhere below.

Jing and Stir eyed their spinning disc. It had just stopped, and was maybe a couple feet wide.

Which meant…

The little whirlpool began to swirl at a blinding rate, sending the Bandit King and silver-eyed princess flying in opposite directions as the disc became large again. Jing crashed onto a whirlpool that Kir was on and knocked the black albatross off the disc, sending him flying into Razekar's face. Stir landed on a glass disc surrounded by many more small glass discs. If she had gone just a little farther, she would've been able to knock Cassis off her feet.

While Stir tried to regain her footing, she noticed a familiar silhouette on one of the other discs nearby. It was a suit of crimson armor with the head shaped like a lioness's, holding a sword. In fact, it looked just that that armor she wore at the last Mascorrida in Zaza. But that armor had been broken long ago, and there was no face to be seen under the shadow of the lioness's mouth…

The armor took a battle pose, so she and Cassis did the same. They remained motionless for a few moments, seeing who would strike first and what weaknesses the opponent might have. Then, when that time had passed, the metal lioness lunged at the dark-clad warrior.

IIIIIII

Jing saw the colors running down the whirlpools before he saw the cat itself. It dripped sickening from one disc to another, a sluggish stream of hues. A tendril rose from the vivid liquid and lashed out at him. He barely evaded it through a swift jump upward, and watched as the whirlpool struck began to be overcome by the ethereal essence. As he hopped from whirlpool to whirlpool, they shattered under his feet, preventing an estranged Kir, or anyone else, from following.

As he landed on a clean, higher-placed disc, he saw Cassis and Stir attacking the cat with the torn body and false face, dueling in the overwhelming liquid hues. The feline was connected to the thick substance by several tendrils coming out of its ripped belly. The silver-eyed princess made very few strikes, instead constantly leaping back and parrying against nothing. Cassis struck several blows against the cat's torn body, but it had no effect since the cat's body had long been broken. Neither of them seemed to notice how the living colors creeping up their legs, getting splashed on their arms…

The Bandit King cringed inwardly: What were they doing? The cat would drag both of them under the colors at this rate.

The boy in the blazing coat threw himself into the fight.

He carefully danced around the brilliant hues, aiming for the small patches that were still untainted. The black-haired thief saw the feline with the purple-and-green mask turn in his direction and snicker at him. The two girls spotted him as well, both of them giving him a very confused look.

"…Jing, what are you doing?" asked Stir.

"You know, you look pretty stupid, hopping around like that," stated Cassis, now starting to look annoyed.

"I'm trying to not step in the colors," Jing explained, almost missing a clear patch. "You should be avoiding them too."

Stir and Cassis looked around, and then gave him a blank stare.

"…What colors?" asked Cassis

He could see the cat snickering behind him, more loudly this time.

"The colors, like the colors that came out of the cave wall and the burning tree!" Jing snapped. "If you keep standing in it like that, you'll go numb and it'll take you under!"

"…Jing, are you feeling allright?" questioned Stir. "You were acting kinda weird earlier…"

"I'm fine," he reassured swiftly, keeping his gaze on the cat, hovering toward him with its big fake smile. Couldn't Stir and Cassis see the colors? At the very least they should be able to feel its coldness, see the frost cloaking their breath…

He could see it, though, even if they couldn't. The bandit with steel eyes could see his own breath become white and frozen as he summoned forth his blade. He knew he had to kill the creature, kill the cat before it took them, even if he had to let the colors stain him in order to do it. Now this time he had to make sure it stayed dead…

He rushed forward with abandon, feeling the vivid essence's icy touch sink into his legs. The constant spinning of the disc made it impossible to run straight, and the slick hues threatened to trip him up at every step. The cat simply waited, mocking him with that manic grin.

"Jing, wait!"

"What are you doing? It'll-"

But the Bandit King hardly heard them as he dashed across the brilliant essence.

Suddenly a single tendril of color rose up from the surface of hued liquid and slammed down on the left side of Jing's chest.

IIIIII

It was a nasty slash, Cassis could tell that much.

She watched Jing leap away from the "forest fairy", bearing three long red stripes down the left side of his chest from the creature's sharp claws. He took a defensive position.

The wooden monster was oddly swift and humanoid for its kind. Its limbs were unusually long and thin, making look almost comical. There were three sharp and lengthy fingers on each forelimb, and three thick and pointed toes on its feet. Strings of willow leaves grew out of the back of its head, the leafy hair only slightly shorter than the body itself. Its unchanging, snarling face had yellow-green moss growing on it. The eyes were red points surrounded by black.

She was covered with scratches and slashes herself. Alone the injuries weren't too bad, hurting and bleeding little, but they built up quickly. Stir has also been scratched, and was using, in Cassis's opinion, far too many bandages to cover her wounds. The bleeding wasn't _that_ bad…

She charged and struck at the so-called forest fairy with her bat. The bark-skinned creature blocked her assault by crossing its wooden arms. It tried to counter with a slash, but she jumped back to avoid it. She was hissed at as she regained her balance on the ever-turning disc, and had only just stabilized her footing before she saw it pouncing forward. This time the scarred blonde stopped the attack by hitting the wooden monster with her bat and knocking it aside. The creature screeched.

The blue-eyed bat-wielder wondered where Stir had gotten off to. She wasn't one to run from a fight…

"Jing, stay still!"

Cassis paid a glance behind her and saw Jing kneeling down on one leg. Stir was next to him, wrapping his long wound with what Cassis thought was too much bandaging, while the Bandit King muttered something about the living colors creeping too close for his liking. He really did look awful, though. Why was he shaking so badly, drenched in sweat, with his breath growing so ragged? All he had gotten was a nasty scratch…

Her heart skipped a beat.

It couldn't be poison, could it? It wouldn't be out of the question. There were plenty of poisonous plants around, after all…

Her glance back had taken just a second too long. Just as she turned around she was slashed by the creature's long claws. She quickly leapt onto another nearby whirlpool, holding her cheek and glaring at the creature. She felt some hot crimson stick to her fingers.

But if the last strike had poisoned Jing…

She staggered back and tried not to fall, as her head began to swim and her body began to shake uncontrollably. The so-called forest fairy leapt onto the disc she was on with perfect grace. Taking a battle pose, she let smirk creep onto her face.

_I knew this was too easy._

She charged forward with a loud yell.

IIIIIII

_What does she think she's doing?_

Stir was finishing wrapping up Jing's long, deep cut while she watched Cassis fight against the suit of crimson lioness armor. The bat-wielding blonde was on the full offensive, which the silver-eyed princess thought was foolish. Leaving herself open like that made her vulnerable to sword slashes, and her wooden bat wasn't going to do much to the living steel shell. She already had quite a few deep, bleeding wounds, and judging by the way she was slipping on the spinning disc and running of breath, the wounds were taking their toll. She had offered to bandage them up earlier, but the blue-eyed blonde said they were just scratches. Just scratches, she said…

"What's she doing…she'll be swallowed…"

She turned to Jing as he stumbled onto his feet, still shivering.

"What are you talking about?"

"The colors, she'll be swallowed by the colors …" the Bandit King growled. "The colors are spreading everywhere…"

"Jing, I told you, there are no colors," the platinum-haired warrior replied with irritation. "If those colors were here, we'd be able to see them like we did in Falcon's world."

Suddenly, oblivious to her words, he pulled Stir back and slashed at empty air.

"What are you-"

"I said to watch out for these color tendrils," the steel-eyed thief hissed, cutting rapidly at the unfilled space. "You're stained badly enough as it is…"

"Jing, stop it!" the silver-eyed princess cried out, holding him back. He was soaked with sweat and freezing to the touch. "There's nothing there!"

"But the colors-"

They had no choice but to split up, as the metal lioness dived down from above to cut them in half. Jing staggered not far off, kneeling down again and trying to catch his breath. Cassis followed moments later, narrowly avoiding falling over when she landed. Her breathing was short and harsh. The scarred blonde launched herself at the living hollow shell, but her attacks were increasingly sloppy. Another strike landed on her shoulder, making her cry out.

_She won't last long at this rate._

Stir charged forward, blocking a slash that was about to strike down Cassis.

"I'll take it from here," the dark-clad warrior told the blue-eyed blonde.

"I don't need your help!"

A quick stab slipped past Stir and grazed Cassis's arm. The blue-eyed girl tried to wrap some cloth around the wound, but her hand was shaking badly.

"Of course not," Stir remarked coldly, swiping at the metal lioness with her sword. It blocked the strike with its own weapon.

The bat trembled violently in the scarred blonde's sweat-soaked hands.

"Don't treat me like some weak little kid," she hissed breathlessly, flashes of fire flaring across her mind as she glared at both Stir and the hollow steel suit. "I can take you down any day!"

She rushed forward with her bat raised high and a scream erupting from her throat.

The crimson armor also dashed forward, almost faster than the eye could trace it.

Stir hastily knocked Cassis to the ground, causing the blonde's bat to fly out of her hands and skid halfway across the disc. The dark-clad warrior swiftly guarded against the enemy's sword with her own blade. However, the hurried position of her weapon was poor, and the blade was sent flying out of her grasp. It landed point-first right next to Cassis's bat. A quick slash to the leg, and the princess was kneeling before her opponent.

Then the sword of the metal lioness glowed gold, morphing into an oversized gilded magnifying glass with no glass in the lens socket. Slowly, the burning glass was raised.

IIIIII

The draining effects of the colors on the two of them were taking their toll on them, Jing could tell.

Stir was holding the leg that the cat, that damn cat, had the nerve to bite and infect with its colors. Her fallen weapon was being consumed by the vivid liquid, the tendrils twisting around it like snakes. And all those color stains were enveloping her all the faster…

Cassis was lying on the color-drenched disc, immersed in sweat and rainbow essence, staying in the same place where she had been knocked down. The vibrant hues on the glass whirlpool were steadily creeping up her clothes and her long hair. Her bat had also been long lost to the brilliant colors. All she did was lay there, breathing hard and shaking…

And there was that cat, that ugly, malformed cat, hovering over them and snickering in that hissy, high-pitched voice. The color was everywhere, leaving nowhere on the disc untouched, and dripping down to other discs below.

A tendril of the vibrant essence rose up from out of the sheet of color behind the cat. It began to shine gold, and molded itself into the shape of a giant golden burning glass. It swayed behind the torn feline like a misshapen tail.

If he didn't do something…

A flash to the Mascorrida, where Stir lay unconscious in her broken armor.

If he didn't do something…

A flash to a wall of raging fire, the screech of Cassis's screams, his own screams.

If he didn't…

The cat swished the gilded magnifying glass mockingly over the two girls' heads, its frozen smile looming down at them. It lifted its head and looked at him, and then quietly snickered. It deliberately paused the burning glass over Stir and snickered evilly, and then moved the burning glass over Cassis and snickered evilly again. It kept on doing this, snickering each time it paused over one of the girls.

…do something…

Then the gilded magnifying glass with no lens swung down, creating a blur of gold, and there was a sudden inversion of color.

IIIIIII

They hadn't even seen him move.

Jing stood before them, his body trembling as shadow-gold energy twisted around his form. Their enemy lifted up the golden burning glass, chuckling softly. Cassis heard chuckling that was dry and crackly. Stir heard her own chuckling.

As the adversary vanished into shining dust, the Bandit King collapsed.

"Jing!" they called out, only barely hearing the others shouting to them below. They hurried over to the boy in the blazing coat the fastest they could with their injuries. At least the whirlpools weren't spinning anymore…

The boy in the blazing coat opened his eyes groggily as he felt the girl's shadows floating over him.

"Are…are you allright…Cassu…Stir…" he whispered, smiling faintly.

Then, as the Bandit King's gray eyes slipped shut, everything began to break. The glass discs shattered one by one at a brisk rate, the pieces melting into colors as they fell. The dark blue around them began to be swallowed by black patches rapidly infecting it. Their own disc was smashed under them, dumping them and the unconscious Jing into a free-fall.

As the last of the deep blue was consumed by the black, several thin strings of color formed in the air, loosely orbiting around the sleeping thief. Their rotation grew faster and closer, blending into one another and forming a liquid cocoon around him.

"Jing!" they called out, but there was no response as the vibrant essence seeped over the last of the holes in the fluid shell. It began to glow slightly.

Then all the black around them exploded into color, and then they knew no more.

_I know the battle at the very end was probably confusing, but hopefully you got a better idea of what was going on as the battle progressed and POVs were switched around. If not, it'll be better explained later on. The next chapter needs some editing, so it may be awhile before its posted, though hopefully not as long as it took to post this chapter. Hang in there guys!_

**NEXT CHAPTER: _It's off to Jing's memory now, and quite a ways back too from the look of things. Will Kir be able to survive the antics of two young boys? Stir and Cassis might be able to handle them, if they don't kill each other first. But there is someone there that both girls have been quite curious about for quite some time... _**


	21. White Lies, and How They Became Real

_Welcome back! I hope you guys are enjoying summer! I have to job hunt..._

_Don't worry, this chapter isn't nearly as big as the last one XP, but it's very important. Most of this chapter is fun...most of it. The last bit makes all the difference though. Also, there are quite a few wine references in this chapter. You'll read about them at the end of the chapter._

_Disclaimer: Jing should be very glad that I don't own him or the manga or anime series. Otherwise he'd have things a lot tougher XP. I also don't own the wines and similiar items I refer to in this chapter. I DO own this particular world, the chars in it, and the interpretation of a certain character. _

_Here we go!_

**55****th**** Shot: Go Back to the Purest White**

When Kir woke up, he was all alone.

"Ugh…man, what happened? Where is everybody?" the black avian grumbled as he rubbed his head. Right then he was in a hilly area cloaked by tall, yellow grass, with a group of trees to the north. Beside him was a shallow stream.

A flash back to the chaos of before jumped into his mind.

"Oh, that's right! Jing was fighting something and it knocked him out with a funny golden wand before everything went screwy," the dark albatross summarized to himself, suddenly taking flight and darting about. "Hope he's okay. Hey Jing, where are you? Jing! Jing!!"

"_Ku?_"

Kir spun around at the familiar voice.

"Oh, there you are, Jing! I -"

The dark albatross stopped short.

There was no doubt it was him. The boy before him indeed had the messy black hair sticking up everywhere, as well as the dark baggy clothes. He even wore the shockingly orange coat and a violet feline mask with an all-too-wide grin.

But this wasn't the Jing he knew. Not this little squirt.

This boy lacked both the height and the lankiness of Kir's Jing, but that was to be expected from a five-year-old. The bright tangerine coat he had on was far too big, with the sleeves hanging off his arms and the long tail of the coat dragging behind him like a ragtag prince's robe. His right arm was resting in the jacket's inner coat pocket. Over his face was a paper version of the violet cat mask, crude and poorly colored.

Kir stared at the little Jing without a word.

_Oh god, don't tell me –_

The paper-masked boy cocked his head slightly, as if trying to figure out what he was looking at. Then, he slowly backed up a few paces.

Suddenly he let out a childish yell and pounced forth.

Kir yelped and hastily flew upward. The child in the far-too-long blazing coat went sailing right under him, and landed in the small stream with a spectacular splash.

As the kid got back up and shook himself off like a puppy, the paper mask melted off the boy's face and fell into the water in a purple pulpy mass. When the child saw the remains of the facade float down the stream, he began to wail and throw a fit.

"Uh…" Kir began.

Then the youngster spun around, with wide dust-hued eyes that were so familiar yet unrecognizable. Those dust-hued eyes then shot the dark avian an angry glare.

"_Nu doka! Lai aunirah mi lohro! Imazhou uket quanai lohro kaikai dalay!"_

Then, from out of its secure resting place came his right arm, with a plastic toy gun in its grip. _Crimia Rayale _was written across the artificial firearm's side in big, goofy red letters. He pointed the toy gun at Kir. For some reason this bothered the black albatross, even though he knew the gun was fake.

"_Crimia Rayale!"_

The black albatross was doused with water.

"Ack! Hey, what's your problem?! You're the one who tried to attack me!" barked the dark avian, pointing at the boy with his wing. "And I don't need to apologize to you. You're not the real Jing anyway. So I don't care about you and your stupid fakeness anyway, you-"

The boy with dust-hued eyes stared at him blankly.

"…You don't understand a word I'm saying, do you?"

The black-haired child continued to look at him dumbly. An awkward silence settled on the boy and bird as a slight wind flowed across the grasses.

"Well…" Kir began, using one of his wings to point to himself. "I'm Kir. Kiiiiir."

The child in the oversized orange coat gave a bright smile and a quick nod. He pointed at the dark albatross.

"_Kir!"_

"Yep!" answered the black avian, beaming.

Then the boy with dust-hued eyes pointed to himself.

"_Imazhou!"_

"Huh?" Kir balked.

The black-haired child gave him an annoyed look, and pointed to himself again.

"_Imazhou! Ih-mah-zow!"_

Kir pointed his wing at the kid wielding the plastic water gun, with a skeptical look on his face.

"…Imazhou?"

"_Kip!"_

The black albatross did not lower his wing, and tried to think of any of the Chesirian he'd heard his Jing use.

"…_Nu _Jing?"

The child with dust-hued eyes looked at Kir, and then at his outfit. He seemed to realize something, and gave the dark avian a slightly embarrassed grin.

"_Uno gio, dae Jing vahz baya. Sauno dae."_

It was nonsense to Kir, except for the word Jing.

"_E Jing isa teh_ _Bandit King!"_

He pointed his toy _Crimia Rayale_ upward at the squirted at the sky. Then gravity came into play, and the water he had shot out of the plastic gun splattered all over his face. The child in the oversized orange coat whined and began to wipe off the water with the back of his right sleeve.

Kir gave the boy an odd look as something came to his mind.

_Wait, his right's arm's okay? I thought Cassis said that something was wrong with it when he was younger, so he couldn't use it…but it looks fine to me…_

After the boy with the dust-hued eyes had wiped all the water from his face, he walked over to the stream. He took an empty bottle, dipped the bottle into the stream, and poured the water from the bottle into his toy gun. After the mock weapon was reloaded, he spotted a nearby rabbit and aimed at it.

"_Crimia Rayale!"_

The jet of water missed by over a foot.

"Here, kid, let me show you how it's done," stated the dark albatross, picking up the empty bottle. He dipped it into the stream, poured the contents into his mouth, and spit out a powerful spray of water at the rabbit. The direct hit knocked the rabbit off the rock it had been resting on and out of sight, like a cardboard marker at a shooting game.

The black avian looked at the child and smirked.

"Kir Royale."

The boy laughed.

"_Kip! Kip! Kir Rayale!" _

Kir smirked, and squirted more water into the black-haired kid's face.

"_Aaah! Nu doka!" _

"_IMAZHOU!" _

The boy in the oversized orange jacket spun around.

A boy the same age as him stood on one of the lesser hills nearby. He had slightly long chocolate hair and a wooden sword that he rested on one shoulder.

"_Baya lai bela auig quanai tekatocka zohza," _growled the boy. "_O lai en bela keke."_

The gray-eyed boy smirked, and took out a small, gilded watch. He swung it playfully back and forth on its golden chain.

"_Jing uigar teh tekatocka kynaio Jing uin ta, Baiyu," _the little thief answered, watching the timepiece rock from side to side. _"E kero isa quinu Imazhou? Jing isa Jing."_

"_Baiyu isa ulebah lai, koki!" _boy with the wooden sword snapped. "_Iede de lai isa Imazhou e lai aulele yi."_

"_Nu Imazhou! Dae Jing!"_

"_Imazhou!"_

"_Jing!"_

"_Imazhou!"_

"_Jing!"_

Kir stared at the scene. This looked familiar…wasn't there someone…

The dark avian took a double take of the other kid at the top of the hill.

_Yeah, it's that other Chesirian guy we saw at Bacc, only he's a little kid. He called Jing Imazhou back there too. But wait, Jing said…_

"_Crimia Rayale!"_

A surprised and angry yelp came from the little Baiyu as the black-haired boy squirted him right in the face. Without a moment's wait the child with dust-hued eyes grabbed Kir and dashed off, with the black albatross half-tugged, half-dragged as they fled the scene. The damp Chesirian boy was tailing close behind.

IIIIIII

"Heh, who would've thought the Bandit King used to live here?"

Razekar and Falcon ambled through the quaint village of White Zinfandel. There was nothing particularly special about it, besides the odd obsession over white. White houses primitively yet effectively made, white clothes, white doormats with obvious grime. It was such a contrast, with the entire wild world surrounding the little town. At the center of White Zinfandel was a large elaborate carousel, painted in the palest of colored hues.

Since they were in Cheshiria, or at least a simulated Cheshiria, most people spoke Chesirian. Razekar neither spoke or understood a word of it. Falcon, being part Chesirian, could understand it well enough, but couldn't speak it very well since his old home had given him little time to practice it. He'd been working on it since he had been living at Pharos's palace, but he was still far from fluent in it. Therefore, properly communicating with the locals was proving more than a little difficult.

"Where do you think Jing is?" the fair-haired fighter asked Razekar. "The real one, I mean."

"Well…" the young man with golden-orange hair began, looking up to the flawless sky. "I doubt he'd hide himself in any old tree. He's too good for that. So, he's probably inside something that was especially important to him. After all, you were in that burning tree whose flames you used to…"

He noticed Falcon studying the ground with false concentration.

"Hey, it's okay, buddy. You had a rough life then. I would've burned those trees to cinders myself," the lanky thief assured, patting the blue-eyed boy on the back.

"I know, it's just…" Falcon began. "I don't regret burning the trees. That did everyone a favor. But…not everything there was plants, you know that. I never even thought about it until after…"

"Well, if those were truly righteous flames, I'm sure no innocents were touched by them," Razekar assured solemnly.

Falcon gave him a long stare.

"I can't believe you said that with a straight face," the blonde stated, smirking.

"I know. Me neither."

Both of them quietly chuckled.

"Heeeeey! Falcon! Raze! Up here!"

The pair of companions, as well as quite a few curious villagers, watched as a white-haired youth glided down from the sky, hanging from the long legs of a white stork. An orange puppy dog was slung across his shoulders like a living neck-warmer.

"Dal! Where've ya been?" asked Falcon cheerfully, as the emerald-eyed boy landed on the ground safely. The short youngster paid a quick chirp to the stork as it flew off.

"Well, I woke up on top of that thing," answered the red-clad boy, pointing to an odd black-and-white object in the distance. "And I've been catching rides on all kinds of animals trying to figure out where everyone else ended up."

"I see," Razekar replied, studying the odd construction on the side of the mountain neighboring White Zinfandel. It looked like some kind of giant, curving, wall, painted with two rows of alternating black-and-white squares. It almost looked like a checkered smile. "What's it supposed to be, anyway?"

"It's the dam for this village."

The trio of travelers turned to see a tanned-skin woman in her late twenties standing behind them, a serene smile on her face. She had long black hair that went halfway down her back, and warm gray eyes. Her clothes were a simple, white with faint embroidery on the edges. Despite all the dust, they looked perfectly clean. Rolly jumped from Dalios's shoulders and dashed over to the young woman despite his protests.

Dalios and Falcon patiently waited for Razekar to make a move, and yet he never did. If anything, he seemed to be feeling slightly awkward. The lanky thief gave the two boys a look that questioned why they were so calm. They gave him a confused stare back.

"Does this village really need so much water?" asked Dalios. "Miss…um…"

"Azalera. Geneva Azalera," the Chesirian woman introduced herself, giving them a nod. Rolly sniffed at her ankles.

"…Hey, you speak the common tongue!" Falcon suddenly realized.

Razekar rolled his eyes.

"Yes, I learned it a while back, while I was still traveling," responded Miss Azalera, petting the Corgi mix. "And the dam was built long before White Zinfandel was. Who made it and why, like many things of this age, has been forgotten. But we can still use it, so it's not a complete loss."

"So that's it," replied Razekar, taking another look at the dam.

"What are your names?" asked the black-haired lady.

"Well, I'm Dalios," the white-haired youth began. "The blonde guy's Falcon, and the tall guy's Razekar. And the dog bothering you is Rolly."

"It's a pleasure to meet you all," answered the gray-eyed woman, picking the orange mutt up. "And don't worry, your Rolly isn't bothering me at all."

"Pleasure's ours too. And we could use more dog lovers in the world anyway," answered Razekar. "Anyway, you wouldn't have happened to have seen a blonde girl, a silver-haired princess, a black albatross, or a boy with a way-too-bright orange coat around, would you? We got separated from them a little while ago."

"No, I don't believe so. Though it sounds like you have a Bandit King in your mist," responded Miss Azalera, looking slightly amused. "Is his name Tanqueray Jing, by any chance?"

"Tanqueray?" asked Falcon, cocking his head slightly.

"Oh, don't worry about it. Just an old tale around here," she answered. "Why don't I help look for your friends? I've got my own little Bandit King to find, after all."

Falcon and Dalios gave each other looks. Razekar didn't seem the least surprised.

"You know," the red-clad boy whispered. "She _does _kinda look like that face in that crystal necklace he carries with him everywhere…"

IIIIIII

"I TOLD you this was the wrong way!"

"Oh, and suddenly YOU'RE the expert on Cheshiria, huh?"

Stir and Cassis glared at each other as they wandered in a woody part of the hills. There was plenty of light slipping through the wide slits in the canopy, but there was far too much foliage for either girl to retain their sense of direction.

"Well, at least I've looked at maps of Cheshiria before," Cassis countered, beating back limbs with her bat. "I know what the major parts of it are."

"Allright then, girl scout, which part of Cheshiria are we in now?" Stir quizzed, slashing vines out of the way.

"Well…"

"I thought so."

Both of them halted at the sound of leaves rustling. They crouched down silently.

From out of a nearby bush shot out a small Chesirian boy with chocolate-colored hair, dashing right in the front of the girls. They gave him a curious look as he ran off.

"Wow, people actually live out here?" Cassis remarked. "I was beginning to think we were the only ones."

"If we were the only ones here, we wouldn't-"

"_Kir Rayale!"_

Both girls got a squirt to the face.

"AAH!"

"HEY!"

Then the scarred blonde and the silver-eyed princess found themselves staring at a miniature Jing, who eyed them back with equal surprise.

"…You're joking, right?" Cassis asked.

Then Cassis happened to look down at his right arm, and burst out laughing. Giving the bat-wielder an odd glance, Stir too took a glance at the boy's upper limb. She could see why Cassis was laughing.

One dirt-covered black albatross was strapped to that right arm, secured in place by tied ropes and tightened buckles. On one side of the boy's right arm was fastened a half-empty bottle of water, which had a straw pointing out of the cap. The tail end of the straw was at the edge of Kir's beak. Apparently this was the power source of the "Kir Rayale" and its ever-so-deadly squirts of water.

Kir noticed the slightly drenched girls eyeing him, spit out the remaining water in his mouth, and gave them a sheepish smile.

"…Would you believe me if I said that I let him do this to me of my own free will?"

Cassis smirked.

"Actually, yes I would."

The young Jing gave Kir a curious gaze and pointed to the girls in front of them.

"_Dokushoi?"_

"Oh yeah, this is Cassis, and this is Stir," the muddy avian explained, pointing his wing first to the blue-eyed blonde, and then to the platinum-haired princess.

The boy with dust-hued eyes pointed to Stir using his right hand, jerking Kir along.

"_Stir."_

"Yep!"

Then Kir found himself suddenly being jerked to the right as the black-haired child quickly pointed to the other girl.

"_Cah…su!"_

"No, it's Cah-sus," corrected the black albatross.

"_Cah-su!"_

"Cah-SUS!"

"_Cah-SU!"_

"Don't bother, Kir," the blue-eyed girl interrupted, looking amused. "He's not gonna get it for another five years."

She leaned down to Jing's level.

"_E lai nuia teh ci, ika Bandit King, vahz?"_

The boy in the oversized orange coat began jumping up and down excitedly at the realization that he could understand this girl. Kir didn't enjoy the bouncing so much.

"_Kip Kip!"_

Stir gave Cassis an odd look.

"You can speak Chesirian?" she asked.

"Sure. I had to communicate with him somehow when he first showed up," the blue-eyed blonde replied, briefly turning around to look at the platinum-haired princess. The boy with dust-hued eyes looked at Stir too.

"_Kanaka lai bai?"_

Cassis turned back to the little Jing.

"_Cassis bai Amarcord," _the bat-wielder answered cheerfully. _"E Stir isa syripterra de Grundia de Geelas."_

The black-haired boy took another good look at Stir and grew excited.

"_Olero, Cassu?"_

Kir, who was starting to get a headache from all the child's excited waving around, understood nothing besides _syripterra, _which meant princess. It was one of the few words he remembered, and that was probably because he'd used it to harass Jing with after they left Zaza for the first time.

Stir looked somewhat sulky at being left out. The other boy who had dashed past them earlier walked over to her, apparently coming back to see why the boy in the oversized orange coat wasn't chasing him anymore.

"_Vayu!" _he greeted cheerfully.

"Um…hey."

"_Kip!" _the blue-eyed girl continued in the background, smiling. _"Isa syripterra, nonu ala isah vespi de Grundia de Geelas. Ala isa bella ta Tarzan, telero de geelas."_

"_Kippi!"_

Now Kir was confused. What did Tarzan have to do with the heir of Zaza?

The small Bandit King ran over to Stir and gave her a playful bow. As he did so, everything in his jacket pockets spilled out onto the ground. He let out a yelp and quickly began to stuff some fallen candy back into his coat.

"_Quaoku?! Quanai maimai!"_

…Which apparently belonged to Baiyu.

"_Nu, maimai baya!" _announced the mini Bandit King, hastily wadding his pockets with the rest of the candy. _"Baiyu wonu yi, Jing uzil yi! Maimai!"_

"_Nu, maimai!"_

"_Maimai!" _the black-haired boy shouted, bonking Baiyu's head with his right hand and, consequently, part of Kir's beak. The black albatross didn't appreciate it any more than the chocolate-haired Chesirian did.

"_OW! Nu doka!" _the blue-eyed child barked back, whapping the little Jing's head with his wooden sword in retaliation.

"_OW! Quanai nu doka iviva!"_

"Stop it, you two," growled Stir, making her way over to the squabbling children.

As she did so, she tripped over a stray vine and crashed into the two boys. The three of them ended up sliding all the way down the hill and landed in a large pit full of leaves. Stir soon resurfaced and started spitting bits of leaf, while the two Chesirian boys popped up and began to argue once more. There was a faint moaning under the leaves that was assumed to be Kir's.

"Hey, are you guys all-" Cassis began to call before she slipped on some of dead leaves and ended up tumbling down the hill herself, landing right on top of Stir and taking them both under the leaves. When they rose from the shriveled foliage, picking twigs out of their hair, the child duo began to laugh. After giving the boys annoyed looks, the blue-eyed blonde and silver-eyed princess began to laugh as well.

"Looks like you guys are having fun."

The quartet in the leaves looked up to see a white-haired boy peering down over them, seeming amused. He eyed the young Jing with mild surprise.

"Wow, we went a _long _way back, didn't we?"

"Yep," answered Cassis, a playful smirk on her face.

The two Chesirian boys gave the blonde blank stares.

"_Dokushoi?" _they both asked.

"_Domo, Cassis ulele hu," _answered the girl in baseball clothes. "_Osa Dalios."_

"_Dahl-ee-oh-su?" _both boys parroted awkwardly.

If Dalios noticed the mispronunciation, he didn't show it.

The little Jing waved at the white-haired youth.

"_Dae Bandit King Jing, quanai dokusho Baiyu, e quanai Stir, syripterra de Grundia de Geelas e isa bella ta Tarzan._

The short youngster cocked his head slightly.

"_Olero?"_

"_Kip kip! _

"Okay…" the emerald-eyed boy replied, turning to the woods behind him. "Hey, I found them!"

Then from out of the brush came Razekar, pushing a branch out of his face as he stepped into the broad clearing surrounding the leaf pit.

"Which them do you mean, Dal?"

"_Dae uzet aliali!" _the short youngster shouted back.

Razekar stared at him blankly, and then gave the red-clad child a somewhat annoyed look.

"In my language, Dal."

"I said it in your language!"

"No you didn't."

"I did too!"

"No you didn't," Cassis countered. "You said it in Chesirian."

Dalios grumbled under his breath.

"He's been going back and forth between languages ever since we met up with him. He can't tell the difference between languages, so it doesn't matter to him which one he uses. Unfortunately, it doesn't go both ways," explained the lanky thief. "So, who've we got here…?"

Then from a different area of trees stumbled out Falcon, who was uneasily slinking around all the silent foliage like he expected it to attack him.

"Ah, there you are," greeted Razekar, as he gave him a quick salute for no apparent reason. Baiyu cautiously poked at Razekar's ankle with his wooden sword.

"Who'd you find?" asked the fair-haired fighter, eyeing the grass swaying at his feet.

"Oh, the princess, Miss Cassis, a little guy who likes to jab me with a stick, and a Bandit King that shrunk in the wash," the young man with golden-orange hair answered, taking the chocolate-haired Chesirian's toy weapon and watching him flail and whine for it as he held it just above the child's head. Little Jing began to laugh, and little Baiyu yelled at both him and Razekar while he still strained for his wooden sword.

Stir was watching the struggle with amusement when she felt someone tapping on her shoulder. She turned to see Dalios kneeling down next to her.

"Hey Stir, I got a quick question."

"What is it?"

"Well…" the emerald-eyed boy began, smirking. "May I ask when you became the princess of gorillas in the Land of Gorillas and got betrothed to Tarzan?"

Stir gave him a long, long stare.

"Hey, that's what the little Jing told me. Got any idea where that came from?"

The dark-clad warrior's silver eyes rolled over to a certain bat-wielding blonde nearby, who was now tossing leaves at the child in the oversized orange coat.

"…Yes, I believe I do."

"I take it that you've found him, considering all the noise."

The group turned their gazes in the direction of the voice.

Stepping with ease out of the wild growth came Geneva Azalera, her long black hair completely free of twigs and leaves. Even her white dress was spotless.

"_Mama!" _cried out little Jing, scrambling out of the leaf pit and over to the lady with warm gray eyes.

Stir and Cassis straightened up immediately.

"_Zah mai Imazhou," _she cooed in her native tongue, ruffling his messy black hair. _"Das Imazhou ausa vasa?"_

Then she noticed the bedraggled avian strapped sloppily to his right arm.

"Oh dear."

Nearby Razekar was fighting hard to control his laughter, and was losing the battle.

"_Kanu Imazhou uvet osa?" _the boy with dust-hued eyes asked eagerly, lifting his right arm up higher so she could see him better.

"No, you can't keep him,"Miss Azalera replied, sighing and shaking her head.

Though he didn't understand the words, little Imazhou knew what the head-shaking meant.

"_Nonu Mama-"_

"_Nu, Imazhou," _she answered firmly, untying the beat-up albatross.

"Guess we found the old bird just in time, huh?" Razekar stated, still looking highly amused.

Suddenly there was a loud rumble of thunder, which caused the lanky thief to jump. He looked up to what he could see of the stormy sky above.

"Not a thunderstorm…" he moaned.

"Huh? But it was clear a few minutes ago," stated Cassis, who had pulled herself out of the pit and was now helping Baiyu climb up.

"This is Cheshiria we're talking about," replied Dalios, looking up at the darkening sky with mild annoyance. "It can be scorching hot one minute and snowing the next."

"We better hurry back," responded Imazhou's mother, picking up her child. "You can stay at my house."

"Thank you," replied the girls, slightly too formally.

"Well, I'd love to join you fellas, but I think I better stay away for a bit," Razekar stated, acting more fidgety by the minute as the sky growled louder.

"Why?" asked the bat-wielding blonde, starting to smirk slightly. "You're not scared of thunder are you?"

"Well…" the young man with golden-orange hair began. "…Let's just say that there are disadvantages to being a master of electricity at times…"

Suddenly a thunderbolt plummeted from above, nearly striking Razekar. Soon this lightning strike was soon followed by another, and then another, and then another, as the lanky thief hastily danced about trying to avoid being hit.

"As you can see, the bolts just love me, so it's just a tad bit dangerous to hang around me at the moment," Razekar explained in-between deafening thunder crashes. "So I'll just skedaddle for now, okay?"

"Are you sure you'll be allright?" Miss Azalera asked, watching with uneasiness while Imazhou watched with amazement and laughter.

"Yeah, it happens all the time. See ya later!"

So Razekar fled down another path, lighting bolts snapping at his every step.

**56****th**** Shot: The Legend of the Bandit King**

"You are one brave lady, Miss Azalera," commented Cassis, as she watched the boy with dust-hued eyes romp about the small house, chasing after Kir. Stir was sitting nearly, eyeing the young child quietly. She could hear the rain drumming on the roof heavily. Dalios was in another room, examining it while munching on an apple. Falcon was taking a nap somewhere, as the silver-eyed girl guessed by the snoring she heard. Rolly was curled up at the Chesirian lady's feet. Razekar, she presumed, was still being chased by lightning bolts outside.

"Well, I suppose it takes a certain amount of willpower to raise a child," stated the woman with long black hair, as she caught the little rascal and put him on her lap to give Kir a breather. "And patience."

Imazhou looked up at his mother with unrestrained curiosity as he heard her speak in words he didn't understand. When all his attempts to understand the strange sounds were thwarted, he began to wail loudly and squirm.

"_Mamaaaa!"_

"_Gio kukuya?"_

But the boy was calmed by the familiar tongue and beamed back at her while any further struggle.

"He must be a real handful with all the things he runs off with," replied Stir, watching as the Chesirian child stared at her and cocked his head slightly.

The lady with warm gray eyes sighed.

"I'll have to break him of that soon," she responded. "Right now he's just been playing along with the legend, but I can't have him making a habit out of it."

"_Ku?" _asked the black-haired boy, looking up to his mother.

"The legend?" both girls asked.

"_Ku?" _questioned the boy with dust-hued eyes, now looking at Cassis and Stir.

"The legend of the Bandit King, of course."

"_Ku?"_

"Oh yeah, Jing the Bandit King is supposed to be a Chesirian legend, isn't it?" asked Cassis.

Little Imazhou, not being able to understand anything that the guests or his mother were saying, began to wail and flail once more. This time his mother put him down, and he happily dashed over to Kir and began making funny faces at the black avian. The dark albatross began making funny faces back, so soon it escalated into a fierce competition of funny-face-making between boy and bird.

"Yes, it's one of the older Chesirian tales," the lady with long black hair continued. "The children have always loved it."

"Can he steal the stars out of the sky?" the blue-eyed blond asked, smirking slightly.

"Yes, that's one of his abilities," the Chesirian with warm gray eyes stated. "But there's much more to it than that."

"Like what?" asked Stir.

"Well, his full name is Tanqueray Jing. Imazhou can't pronounce Tanqueray yet, though, so he just uses Jing," Miss Azalera began. "But also the Bandit King is known to be a shapeshifter. He can take on the form of an orange cat whenever he wishes. Some even say he's always been a cat, who simply had a human guise for its convenience. It's an old debate."

Just then the little Jing scampered on by, triumphantly holding a red bandana in the air while a bare-necked Kir chased after him.

"It's said that when he becomes a human, his bright orange fur becomes his long orange coat," the Chesirian woman continued. "As long as he has that coat with him, he can change forms at will."

"…So that's why he's always wearing that stupid thing," Cassis muttered to herself.

"Hmm?"

"Oh nothing. Just reminded me of something. Go on."

Miss Azalera nodded in return.

"Of course, his human form is powerful as well. It's said that even though he appears to be a child, his right hand contains a great power. He can cut through anything when unrestrained, and fire energy blasts when the energy is channeled into a gun called _Crimia Rayale, _or Crime Royale. When it was not in use, however, he rests it in his coat pocket to both save energy and to appear to be a cripple to enemies."

Cassis seemed annoyed but unsurprised at this information. Stir, meanwhile, watched as the boy with dust-hued eyes was trying to introduce a very reluctant Kir to the family cat.

_So it's all just a-_

"But although the Bandit King's human form has the strongest fighting power, it is his cat form that is considered the most dangerous. The cat is colder, focusing solely on the target at hand, and its grace lets it hypnotize and manipulate other beings to its favor. And, looking no more supernatural than any other cat, it can slip into the shadows without a trace."

Stir was quiet.

"But why does the Bandit King steal?" asked Cassis.

"That answer depends on the person's view of the Bandit King," Miss Azalera stated. "Some say that he searches for ones dear to him, stealing to build a paradise for them to live in once he finds them all. Others say it's much simpler than that: he wants to steal, so he does so."

She turned to her son, who was playing with the cat while Kir watched from a safe distance.

"Imazhou believes in the paradise theory, of course, that he existed to help steal others away from dark fates."

"And what do you think, Miss Azalera?" asked Stir. "What was Tanqueray Jing's true motive?"

The mother looked up to her ceiling.

"Well, I've always thought…" she began. "That the boy and the cat shouldn't be considered the same."

Then the black-haired child ran over to the window and let out a happy cry.

"_Mama! Ermiso! Ermiso!"_

"It's snowing?" echoed Cassis, also dashing over to the window.

Imazhou began to dash outside, stopped only briefly by his mother, who slipped on his orange coat on him. She followed her laughing child outside the warm house.

Stir and Cassis followed as well.

IIIIII

"Whew! Finally…"

Razekar was catching his breath high up on the mountain near White Zinfandel. It was amazing how infatuated those lightning bolts were with him. Now it was starting to snow peacefully, which the lanky thief didn't mind one bit after the thunderstorm fiasco. Still, it was getting cold now, so Razekar decided it was time to go back to the village.

But before he began to leave, he noticed the black-and-white dam close by. Since this dam was the only real monument around as far as he could tell, he decided to take a closer look. Perhaps a Bandit King was hiding inside it?

It was easy covering the little distance between him and the dam. Upon arriving, he saw just how imposing it was, towering far higher than building he knew of, maybe even the palace walls he lived in. It had been a while since it had received a fresh coat of paint, revealing a dull gray behind the stark black and white, but it stood stiff and proud nonetheless.

"Guess you don't get many visitors, huh?" the lanky thief remarked, giving the cold surface a couple of pats. "Must be lonely up here."

"Why are you addressing a chunk of concrete like it can hear you?"

Razekar snapped his head in the direction of a young woman about his age, with deep brown eyes and curly black hair that went down just past her shoulders. She stood not a few feet away, dressed in a plain buttoned shirt with a black vest and black dress pants. Her white-gloved hands casually fiddled with a pair of glasses. A metal device rested on her wrist.

"Well, what's a pretty little lady like you doing up in these woods all by herself?" the young man with golden-orange hair replied, leaning against the dam casually. "You certainly don't look like one of the locals. For one, I can understand what you're saying."

"You don't fit in much yourself," the curly-haired woman remarked. "You didn't even bother trying to blend in, did you Raze?"

The lanky thief blinked.

"How'd you know my name?"

"You certainly a forgetful one, aren't you?" she commented, giving him a cool stare. "Well, I'm sure you'll be made to remember soon enough."

"And is that a threat, my lady?" Razekar asked.

"No, just a fact," she replied coolly, walking forward a bit. "But really, aren't facts concealed against your will more dangerous than anything else? After all, you never know when they'll break loose to stab you in the back at the worst moment."

She touched his face. He froze.

"Fool," she spoke, withdrawing her hand. "You shouldn't be so trusting."

She turned around and began to walk away.

"Oh yes, places like this will take full advantage of your stupidity. I would recommend moving soon."

"Hmm?" Razekar responded, before a great gale of wind blew across him. He had to close his eyes and pull his cap down to avoid getting any snow-turned-to-rain into his sight. By the time he opened his eyes again, the woman with black hair was gone.

"My lady?" he called out.

Suddenly a lightning bolt from above crashed down, and struck Razekar with its power. He let out a loud yell and stumbled to the side, trying to regain his senses.

"Uuugh…That was a cheap shot, you know…"

Then he sensed another thunderbolt plummeting his way, without mercy. The lanky thief did the only thing he could think of doing: he leapt out of the way, landing somewhat dizzily nearby.

The divine electricity stabbed the great dam, leaving a large charred hole in the concrete. From this wound bled water, lots of water, shooting out forcefully. Under this force more and more of the dam gave way, freeing more and more raging water. Cracks spread throughout the mighty wall like venomous snakes.

"…Crap…I…It's gonna…" Razekar muttered.

He broke into a run toward the village of White Zinfandel.

IIIIIII

"Uh…why are we doing this again?"

"We're watching for raiders, bunny boy."

Falcon and Cassis were at the edge of the village in the rainfall, which was now beginning to die away to a drizzle. Both of them were bundled up in white winter clothes they had borrowed from Miss Azalera, though now they didn't need the extra warmth. Stir and Dalios were on guard on the other side of town in case the attack took place that way. Cassis proudly stood with her trusty bat resting on her shoulder, while Falcon sat on a nearby rock looking sleepy. He never quite woke up from his earlier nap.

"Jing…Imazhou, whatever…told me that when he was real young he and his mother got separated in a raid on his village," she explained, scanning the horizon with diligence. "I have a feeling that this memory world is set real close to that time. I doubt this Leonidas would just let him live happy memories. So we're gonna meet up with these raiders ourselves and take them out before they wreck the village."

"But Raze told me that when you tried to change things in my memory world, it just happened anyway," the fair-haired fighter pointed out, unable to stifle a yawn. "So isn't it kinda pointless to try to stop the raiders?"

"I know that!" the scarred blonde growled. "But they might have the key to finding out where the real Jing is. As much as this place tells me about Jing…Imazhou…we still don't know where he's been hidden. Though it'll feel real good beating up some of those bastards too…you know what I mean?"

She turned back to find Falcon fast asleep on the rock.

"Hey you! Listen when I talk to you!" Cassis snapped, throwing her bat at him. It hit him right on the head.

"OW! _Kuhu quanai?! Kuhu quanai?!" _Falcon shouted, whipping his head back and forth.

"Over here, sleeping beauty," the blue-eyed girl growled, hands on her hips.

He stared at her blankly, head cocked slightly to the side.

"_Ku? Kuhu lai aumest?"_

"Huh?" Cassis answered dumbly, before glaring at him. "Whaddaya mean '_What'd I say?' _?! You understand English perfectly well and you know it! You even speak it better than-"

She paused.

"Wait a minute," the scarred blonde began. "Since when do you speak fluent Chesirian?"

He stared back.

"_Kuhu lai aumest?"_

Cassis was quiet.

…_I didn't hit him __**that**__ hard, did I?_

"Cassis! Falcon!"

Both of them turned to see Razekar rushing down the mountain, rushing down at a seemingly inhuman speed.

"_Kero quanai?" _Falcon asked Cassis, looking curious _"Oso nu ista de suhu."_

"…That's Razekar, don't you remember?" Cassis answered anxiously, before realizing that she needed to translate. _"Quanai Razekar, nu aumem? E nu oso nu- _Hey, whaddaya mean '_one of us'_?! Falcon, you do know that you're not from here right? _Kanaka lai bai, Falcon?"_

"_Falcon bai White Zinfandel!"_

Cassis was silent.

_Oh crap, I __**did **__hit him that hard. _

The scarred blonde noticed Razekar arriving and stopping to catch his breath.

"Razekar, uh, you…need to know something…I can explain…"

"Get everyone out of here! NOW!" Razekar barked.

"Huh?"

"_Ku?"_

"What's going-" Cassis began.

"There's a damn flood coming! It's heading right for the village!"

"A flood? What are you-"

Then the great roaring began.

IIIIII

"…What _is_ that?"

"What's what?" asked Stir, as she and Dalios lingered near the entrance of White Zinfandel. They too were watching for the raiders that were supposed to come. The silver-eyed princess paid quick glimpses to the black-haired child that rode the colorful carousel filled with eternally happy animals. The boy was riding a red-and-yellow lion while Kir was mounted on an orange-and-blue donkey next to him. The black-haired mother was watching nearby, just outside her house, while Rolly licked at her heels and whined. They had considered telling the villagers about the upcoming attack, but no one in this village had the means to fight back, and causing a great panic about raiders would've only hindered their search for the true Jing. After all, all these people were figments, falsehoods, fakes.

"All I hear is the carousel music," the platinum-haired girl said. "What's it sound like?"

"It's like a roaring…" Dalios described, his had cupped to his ear. "Not animal roaring, though…not raider roaring either…wordless roaring…"

As Stir closed her eyes and listened, she began to hear it too. A ravenous roaring, a mindless roaring, a soulless roaring.

"It's coming from the back of town," the dark-clad warrior stated, narrowing her silver eyes and making her way past the frolicking carousel. The boy with dust-hued eyes gave her a curious look as she passed by.

She had taken no more than a few steps from the carousel when she saw the others dashing towards her.

"What's going on?!" demanded Stir.

"Get…to higher ground…immediately…" Razekar panted. "The dam broke."

"It what?!" the silver-eyed princess exclaimed. "How did it break?!"

Razekar didn't seem so eager to answer that question.

The other people in town began to notice the roar now too. It grew louder and louder, until it began to drown the music of carousel so even Kir and the boy with dust-hued eyes had to hear it. Miss Azalera hurried over and picked up her child.

"_Mama?"_

They could see it coming now, the immense deluge of sickly brown water tumbling rapidly down the mountain and toward the village. The villagers began to run, to scream.

"To the hills!" shouted Miss Azalera, clutching tightly to her bewildered son as she ran. "If we can get to the hills-"

But the judgment of the village came swiftly. The houses were crushed, the carousel was snapped, the people were washed away, all in one massive slithering motion. It was almost anti-climatic, how simply it consumed it all greedlessly. It bellowed all the while, a vicious animal freed from its cage, a fluid beast restrained by man no more.

That vast wall of brown water, charging forth like a crazed wildebeest, was the last thing anyone saw for a long while.

**57****th**** Shot: The Breaking of the White**

Cassis found herself on a torn piece of roof, staring up at the darkened sky. The clouds were long gone, leaving only the stars. With a groan she pushed herself up into a standing position and rubbed her head. Then, slowly, she took in the scene around her.

The drowned ground had been stripped of nearly all plant covering, leaving nothing but naked brown muck. Twisted tree-trunks and branches were scattered everywhere, torn apart and stained with mud. In the remains of the tainted liquid floated tortured debris of what used to be huts, clothing, life. Not even the wind dared to break the silence.

_My god…there isn't…anything…_

Then she heard sobbing not far off, a child's tears. She knew who was crying even before she recognized the voice.

_Oh Jing…there never were raiders…were there?_

The scarred blonde willed herself to stand up and start walking in the direction of the weeping, even though she had a clenched feeling in her gut that she already knew what was waiting for her.

Cassis couldn't tell if it took too much time to get there, or not enough. All she knew is that when she finally arrived, regardless of the flow of the minutes or the hours, in a moment all fears became real.

The black-haired boy was there, trying to shake his mother awake, his gray eyes partly red and his oversized orange coat soiled and torn. She was lying on her belly, her wet black hair slopped over her head. He called her name over and over, as if she was just being especially stubborn about getting up, but the cracks spreading through his voice showed that not even he believed in his own lie. Young Baiyu was nearby, trying to calm him down while shaking with shock and fear himself.

Cassis tried to call to both of them, but the words remained buried deep within her chest.

She saw the others coming, all of them sopping wet and soaked in sludge. Kir was draped over Stir's shoulder in a daze as the platinum-haired princess walked forth with dread in her eyes. Dalios was trying to quiet a frantic Falcon as the fair-haired fighter spoke in rapid and confused Chesirian, while Rolly was bouncing just ahead of them and barking loudly. Razekar nearly tripped over the corgi mutt in his dazed state, the young man with golden-orange hair looking unusually pale as he stumbled over the shards of White Zinfandel.

Each one froze as they saw the sight for themselves.

"What…she's…she's…" Kir stammered. "Me and Jing were looking for her all this time…but why were we looking for her when he knew she's…"

"Ever heard of denial, old bird?" Razekar asked humorlessly. "It can do funny things to your head, like making you think something never happened, or something else happened instead. Look at him, he's denying it even now."

Kir turned to where the boy with dust-hued eyes was screeching at Baiyu as the other youngster tried to pull him away from his mother.

Nearby, Rolly was barking incessantly as Dalios snapped at the orange pup hlaf in human tongue and half in dog barks. Falcon was staring at white-haired youth strangely.

"Yes, I know that! _Arrrf! Arf _of course she smells _arr roo roo_! Why…Wait, what are you…do you mean…_whiiine_?"

"…Does that yappity dog of yours know something we don't?" growled Cassis lowly, glaring at the noisy corgi mix. "Otherwise my bat's gonna knock that mutt into Zaza."

"…He might…" Dalios replied somberly. "Go on Rolly."

Rolly trotted past the group and over to the kids and the body, nose to the ground. It paid little attention to either of the children, instead stopping at sniffing at the mother's arm. Then he gave the corpse a quick bite, just enough to pierce the skin. The gray-eyed child wailed fiercely and knocked the corgi mutt back with his arm, yelling at it in furious Chesirian.

Where Rolly had bitten the corpse, droplets of vivid multicolor liquid began to bleed out.

The others made no sound.

"…No wonder we couldn't find him," Razekar stated, a cheerless smirk on his face. "Wanted to go back to the womb, did he? Guess I couldn't blame him. This is going to make things a bit messy, though…"

From the metallic band on the lanky thief's arm shot forth his laser blade.

"Okay, anyone who doesn't want to see this better leave now," he stated flatly. "Don't think there's gonna be too much gore since it's mostly that rainbow stuff, but if you don't wanna see, I understand. At least get the two kids out of here."

Kir flew off Stir's shoulder and went behind a large fragment of the shattered dam. Dalios and Rolly escorted Falcon away from the scene, who was still speaking in increasingly scared Chesirian. After a flailing and screaming fit, Cassis managed to take the child in the stained orange coat into her arms and carry him off, with the other Chesirian child following after her and asking her questions she wasn't answering. Stir stayed at the same spot.

The young man with golden-orange hair walked over to the boy, and paid a quick glance to the platinum-haired girl behind him.

"You sure about this, princess?"

"I am."

Razekar knelt down before the body.

"Allright then."

One clean slit, and the colors inverted as the world froze.

The remains of the body dissolved into the pool of brilliant hues that spilled forth, leaving only an unconscious Bandit King behind. Razekar stood up, watching the colors sizzle off his electric arm blade and become pitch black smoke, and stepped back.

"Jing!" called out the silver-eyed princess, running over to him and shaking him a little. With a faint moan the boy in the blazing coat came to and sat up, holding his head. He noticed Stir kneeling down next to him.

"Oh, hello there princess," he greeted nonchalantly, smiling a little. "Did I fall asleep again? I really must stop doing that in this place. So where-"

But then his smile slipped away and all the casual chatter died in his throat as he saw where he was. His terrified gray eyes took in the shattered surroundings that he knew all too well, and he brought his knees to his chest and began to shake.

"Jing…Jing, it's okay," Stir whispered, placing a hand on his quivering shoulder. "It's over now. It's over."

The only reply she got was a high-pitched whine as he placed on head on his knees and kept on trembling. Stir's eyebrows creased worriedly.

"Jing…"

Cracks slithered all over the landscape, spreading at a quickening rate, until everything broke into splinters and began to fall away. Through the gaps came the colors, swallowing the fragments, until there was no more world to consume. With nothing to stand on, everyone found themselves pummeling down far, far into the vibrant essence until all their senses gave way.

_First, to the wine references:_

_**White Zinfandel **- a wine that is soft, sweet, easy and delicious. Sounds like the kind of place that people would like to live in, espeically to relax and play._

_**Tanqueray** - a brand name, it's said that this company produces a superior gin. So "Tanqueray Jing" is like a more perfect or legendary Bandit King. _

_**Geneva **- from the word "Genever", from which the word of "Gin" is derived. Since "Jing" is derived from "Gin", it seems appropriate enough to name his mother after the source of Jing's name._

_As a side note, I made the mother very calm for three reasons: it fit the overall flow of the story the best, the episode in the anime about Elixir and the Por Vora hint that Elixer may be much like his mother, and Elixir is very calm and gentle, and you need someone very patient to deal with a little five-year-old brat like Jing XP. If we talking about the actual series, however, I wouldn't be surprised if my interpretation of Jing's mother is off. _

_Updates will probably be slow for a while, as I must work on draft for them and adjust previously typed areas. That said, the next chapter might come fairly quickly. Or it might not. It depends on how much things must be rewritten._

_**NEXT CHAPTER: **Everyone is invited to a grand party! They even get free clothes, whether they want them or not. Still, it could be a fine time to set hearts afire, if said hearts are still in one piece. And those with guilt on their conscience could be especially vulnerable..._

_Cya!_


	22. For the Night, There is a Green Betrayal

_Ha ha, I lied XP. Here's the new chapter in a surprisingly short amount of time. I had just enough rough left to put together a quick update. Well...actually it's pretty big, though not as big as this quest's starting chapter._

_Lotsa stuff going on here, not all of it properly explained XP. It's something of a transition chapter. Also, it should be known had the first part of this chapter has quite a few Beatles references in it, with a strong reference to a particular song, with a random Wizard of Oz reference tucked away somewhere too. Can you find them?_

_While I'm on the subject, the "whirlpool area" had a couple of vague references to the Beatles too. It helps to have seen the movie to pick up on them XP. Just letting you know since I forgot about saying that before. _

_Disclaimer: I do not own King of Bandit Jing or the Beatles and their songs. I'm simply letting them stay over in my brain to bring you this story. So don't sue me! Please!_

**58****th**** Shot: In the Sky With Diamonds**

The next thing Jing was aware of was that he was lying down in a small boat, looking up to a sky of marmalade with tangerine-hued leaves fringing his view.

Sitting up, he saw that the boat was on a fair-sized river. On one side he was bordered by orange-hued trees that turned red as he watched them, while on the other side there were very tall flowers that switched between bright-yellow and pale-green colors. In fact, everything around him shifted from hue to hue as if they were controlled by some unseen rocking kaleidoscope. The sky shifted between marmalade and deep orange, and the water mimicked the sky. The boat he rode in changed from deep brown to red violet and then back again. It was enough to make anyone's head hurt.

Peering over the boat's edge to look into the water, Jing noticed that he wasn't wearing his usual outfit either. His standard searing-orange trenchcoat had been replaced by a silky black tuxedo, with a clean white shirt with a ruffle in the front just beneath it, and his hands were masked by white gloves. On his head was a top hat with a white band around it, though his hair remained as fashionable messy as ever. Looking behind him, the gray-eyed boy noted that the tuxedo ended in a split coat-tail in the back, the two thin pieces much resembling a swallow's tail.

"So Leonidas has invited us to a party, huh?"

He looked down to the water again, and a flash of brown muck racing towards him raced into his mind. His hands squeezed hard on the rim of the boat.

"Jing!"

The dressed-up Bandit King turned his head in the other direction, towards the shore where the absurdly tall, green-turning-yellow flowers grew.

At the very end of the shore stood Stir, and she wasn't wearing her usual slick battle suit either. Instead, she had on a beautiful ballroom dress that was iridescently soft green and dark lavender at the same time, with golden embroidery intricately woven over the lower part of the dress. On her long silver hair was a glimmering white tiara with a fiery red ruby at the center, and her hands and upper arms were concealed in long white gloves heavily embellished with matching roses. Her shoulders, however, remained bare.

"Jing! Over here!" she called to him again, when the black-haired boy failed to respond. "I'd go over there myself but this stupid thing would get so water-logged…"

"Don't worry, I'm coming," reassured Jing, leaping from the boat to the edge of the shore in a single leap. The border of the river licked at his shiny black dress shoes affectionately. "I assume the others can't be far off."

"Actually, you're the first I've seen," corrected the silver-eyed princess. "But if you're here, then the others are probably here somewhere too. That's good to know."

"I suppose," replied Jing, tugging slightly at the too-tight sleeves of his tuxedo. "This Leonidas is certainly being civil to us, isn't he? Got us new clothes and everything. I must say yours look especially marvelous."

"Oh! Um, thanks," Stir replied somewhat awkwardly, looking a little embarrassed. "…Jing, are you okay now?"

"What do mean?" he asked, with an almost serene smile.

"Well, it's just that…with what happened earlier…"

Suddenly they both heard rustling in the tall stalks of flowers behind them. Jing curled his right hand downward to summon his blade, and Stir's hand shot to her hip, but then both of them realized that they were unarmed.

"Well that's a real swell welcome."

Out of the stalks emerged Razekar, currently dressed in a gray tuxedo. He wore a fashionable hat with part of its brim pushed up on one side.

"My, aren't we looking spiffy today?"

"You don't look too bad yourself," answered the Bandit King in a top hat. "You wouldn't happen to know where Kir's gone off to, would you?"

"Last time I saw him, he was searching for girls whose skin and hair would stay one color," answered the lanky thief in clad in classy gray. "Better watch your girlfriend."

Stir gave Razekar a blank stare.

"Don't worry, she'll be fine."

The girl in the iridescent ballroom paid a quick glance to the bandit in the black tuxedo. He gave her a playful salute and a smile.

"So, there are other people here besides us?" asked the black-haired boy, turning back to Razekar.

"Well, I wouldn't exactly call them people," the young man with golden-orange hair began, adjusting his new hat. "More like cardboard cut-outs. They're 2-D and change color like everything else around here. Just walk around some and you'll see what I mean."

"Then we'll do that," replied the boy with gray eyes. "So shall we go, princess?"

"Might as well," replied the platinum-haired girl. "And it's Stir, not princess."

"Ah, but you look so much more like a princess right now."

Stir's face turned a faint shade of pink.

"…Fine, call me what you want," she finally replied, his eyes looking to the side. "Let's get going."

As the two of them disappeared into the amazingly tall blooming stalks, Razekar paused to poke at one of the green-turning-yellow flowers.

"What's with the décor here anyway?" he mumbled to himself. "The flowers are made of cellophane."

IIIIIIIII

"Dal, this thing is driving me nuts!"

Dalios, dressed up in a simple brown suit with golden lining around the collar and sleeves, had been strolling in this park-like area for a while now. Large trees shifted from pale blue to deep purple, filled with large flying monkeys fading from raging red to modest pink. The road they walked on was changing from bright yellow to deeper gold.

At one side of Dalios was Rolly, dressed in a miniature dog version of the emerald-eyed boy's outfit. Falcon, meanwhile, was on his other side, trying to break out of his deep blue tuxedo with a matching bowtie. He was ruthlessly tugging at the tux with his hands, trying to tear off the sleeves with his bare teeth, and trying to mess up his perfectly slicked-back blond hair. Needless to say, it wasn't working.

"I don't care for it any more than you do…" stated the boy in the brown suit, looking at Falcon with an annoyed look in his eyes. "…But can you at least _try _to act civilized?"

"But this stupid thing itches!" complained Falcon, scratching at himself.

"Well, at least you remember you're Falcon now," sighed the short youngster, knowing a lost cause when he saw one. "Back in White Zinfandel you thought you were the local fabric tailor."

"Yeah, that's true," replied the cobalt-clad Chesirian. "It's weird though, I don't remember anything after we went to Miss Azalera's house."

"Hmm…"

"What?"

"…So, is this the doom of those who go after Leonidas? To be trapped in tuxedos while forever wandering a world where nothing can make up its mind on what color it is?" the white-haired youth mused half-mockingly. "If that's all there is to it, I'm rather disappointed…"

As he was walking to the corner of the road, he noticed a faint rustling in a bush nearby. Rolly and Falcon noticed it too.

"Huh?" Dalios responded, staring at the bush suspiciously. "What was that?"

He and the corgi mutt carefully crept toward the bush.

IIIIII

"What is _with_ this place?!" Kir screeched, as he flew down the golden path. "All these bright rainbow colors are giving me a migraine!"

"Cheer up, Kir. It's not so bad," replied a familiar voice behind him.

"Actually, it is," grumbled another recognizable voice.

The black albatross spun around. Just as he suspected, a certain gray-eyed boy and silver-eyed princess were standing nearby. Not too far off behind them was Razekar.

"Hey there," Jing greeted casually. He eyed the albatross's black tuxedo with long coat-tails and his top hat. "I see our outfits match."

"Jing! Stir!" the dark avian greeted happily. "I've been looking all over for you guys! Where've you been?"

"Oh, around," answered the Bandit King.

Several yells, yelps and crashes were heard just out of sight. Then Dalios and Rolly drunkenly stumbled around the corner, and fell flat on the ground.

"Ow…"

Jing and the others hurried over to the scene and kneeled over their fallen comrade.

"What happened?" asked Stir.

"Ow…nothing too important…ow…" responded the youngster in a brown suit, as he sat up and rubbed the back of his head. If anything, he looked amused.

"Hey Dal, you okay?" they heard Falcon yell as he ran over to the group. "What was that thing in the bush?"

"Just Blondie," answered Dalios. "She went berserk when I came too closer. I can see why too."

"Huh? Whaddaya mean?"

"Let's just say that she isn't enjoying this party any more than you are, Falcon," the boy in the brown suit hinted. "Especially the dressing-up part…"

Jing smirked.

"She never was very fond of dresses."

"Then she must despise this bright pink one."

The black-haired boy smiled mischievously.

"…Bright pink, you say?"

"Yeah, bright pink with frills all over it, and a big bow in the back."

The great Bandit King burst out laughing.

"You think that's funny, Jing?"

Jing stiffened immediately.

Peeking from a nearby tree was Cassis's head, looking very angry indeed. The rest of her body, however, was still hidden in the foliage of the leaves.

"Ah, Cassu," the boy with dust-hued eyes greeted, rubbing the back of his head and sounding ever-so-slightly nervous. "Didn't see you up there."

"Don't you _Cassu _me, you dog-eyed scoundrel!" the scarred blonde screeched as she erupted from the tree, a broken piece of a very oversized candy cane in her grasp like a baseball bat. The group below quickly separated to avoid the oncoming blow.

Now free of the foliage, Cassis's new dress was shown in its full hot pink glory. There was lace lining the bottom of the dress and around the slender collar around her neck. The sleeves of the dress were made of nothing but thin pink veil. A large ribbon the color of a pale rose was wrapped around her waist snugly and was tied into a large bow in the back of the dress.

After noticing the others had gotten a good look at her outfit, she let out a yelp and her face turned bright red. Then she became a dangerous shade of scarlet, and she twirled the broken candy cane over her head all the more threateningly.

"…Perhaps we should meet up again later?" Jing offered to Stir, keeping a wary eye on the candy-cane wielder not far off.

"Are you sure you'll live to come back?" asked the silver-eyed princess.

"Probably."

Stir did not look convinced.

"Shouldn't she be after Dalios anyway? He's the one who blabbed," she asked.

"And I'm the one who laughed," the black-haired boy in a tuxedo responded, "But she'll get Dalios later, I assure you."

He saw the angry blonde starting to rush his way.

"…Though it looks like I better get going. See ya!"

And with that he hastily dashed off, with Cassis hot on his heels.

IIIIIIII

As Stir crossed a small white-turning-blue bridge that stood over a small stream, she stopped halfway to look back at the field of absurdly tall flowers that she had just exited. Then, seeing nothing more unusual than normal, she went across the rest of the bridge. The sky above was now switching between a deep red and a midnight violet. Just a few feet from the bridge was a colossal fountain flashing from pale blue to faint lavender, the magnificent spouts of water the same restless shades as the heavens.

All around her were color-shifting people sitting on rocking horses, eating the marshmallow pies that were resting on their laps. They all looked perfectly content in their royal suits and dresses, as if this was what they wore everyday. As far as Stir knew, that's exactly what they did. The princess in the iridescent dress had to disagree with Razekar that they looked like cardboard cut-outs; they looked just a three-dimensional as anyone else she had seen. She did agree, however, that they looked fake, and it wasn't just their all-too-bright colors…

She hadn't seen anyone real since the encounter with Cassis. Not Dalios, not Kir, not even…

Suddenly the silver-eyed princess noticed that all the false people were all facing one direction and smiling serenely. She followed their gaze to the slightly rustling field of yellow-turning-green flower stalks.

Out of those flowers that grew so incredibly high appeared Jing, casually pushing the stalks away and smiling at Stir.

"Ah there you are, princess."

Stir smirked.

"So you survived after all."

"I never said I wouldn't," replied the Bandit King, crossing the blue-turning-white bridge. "Though Dalios might not be so lucky."

"Meh, that's just as well," the platinum-haired princess replied, looking amused. "It was his fault anyway."

Jing began to amble toward Stir, his back turned to the massive fountain not a few feet behind him.

"I haven't seen any sign of this Leonidas we're supposed to be looking for, have you?" the silver-eyed princess questioned, watching the Bandit King slowly saunter over. "Though I suppose it's hard to tell since we don't know what he looks like…"

"Oh, something tells me that we'll know him when we see him," the steel-eyed boy answered as he continued to walk, seeming almost bothered at the mention of something as terribly dull as their mission. "If this décor has anything to do with his taste, I'd say he's not too subtle."

"Well…I guess …" answered Stir, giving the vividly hued background a few quick glimpses.

"So until the guest of honor arrives, we should just enjoy ourselves," the thief in the black tuxedo and top hat added, smiling. "We are at a party after all."

As the gray-eyed thief drew closer, the gigantic fountain behind him abruptly overflowed. A thin sheet of water swiftly blanketed the ground, reflecting a purple-turning black sky that was dusted with myriads of yellow-turning-white stars. As it gently flowed over the back of the Bandit King's shiny black shoes, he began shift from color to color. His hair turned from onyx to dark amethyst, from dark amethyst to sapphire, from sapphire to emerald, from emerald to gold. The same thing occurred when the water from the fountain touched the rim of Stir's ballroom gown, causing the iridescent lavender and jade to shift to wine-red and sea-blue.

"So then," Jing began, bowing down as his orange eyes became brilliant rubies. "Shall we dance?"

IIIIIIIIII

"Great, _still_ no sign of Dal, Raze, _or _the princess," Falcon griped, as he weaved his way through the masses of false people ahead of them. They may have been staying the same color, even though Razekar had told him otherwise when he had briefly bumped into him, but they were just as 2D as the lanky thief had said. Now if only if he was here now…

As if his wish had been granted, he soon spotted Razekar straight ahead. The young man with the golden-orange hair was still wearing the same gray tuxedo he had been when he had seen him last, and he was leaning on a white-turning-gold fence. He seemed to be watching something with amusement.

"Raze!" the fair-haired fighter called, dashing over to him. The lanky thief jumped, causing a couple of sparks to fly haphazardly.

"Oh hey there, Falcon," Razekar replied, looking just slightly dazed. "So…having fun?"

"Hardly," growled the blond Chesirian in a rather uncomfortable blue tuxedo. "Hey Raze, have you seen Dal or the princess?"

"Well, last time I saw Dal, he was running from a certain blonde like his life depended on it. Looked like it did too. She was wielding one mean candy cane," the thief with mismatched eyes responded, sounding more amused than alarmed at the idea.

"And the princess?"

The young man with golden-orange hair cocked his head slightly.

"Well…"

"And whacha looking at anyway?" asked Falcon, hopping up so he could climb over the fence.

"Hey wait-"

"What? Is it something nasty?"

"Well no-"

"Then I wanna see-"

Falcon scrambled up to the top and immediately froze.

Jing and Stir were dancing with all the elegance one could imagine, their constantly changing hues in stark contrast with the purple-turning-black liquid around them. Their feet gracefully slid across the water-coated ground, which imitated the night sky above and made it appear that they were waltzing among the stars. If they were aware that others were watching them, they showed no signs.

"…Hey, Falcon?" called Razekar, knowing quite well that the fair-haired fighter didn't like what he was seeing.

The cobalt-clad boy abruptly leapt off the fenced and bolted away.

Razekar sighed.

Nearby he heard a terrified, continuous scream that could only mean that Dalios was fleeing for his existence. Sure enough, the white-haired youth soon arrived on the scene, zipping straight past Razekar, with Rolly only slightly behind. Yet nobody was chasing him…

Dalios seemed to realize this as well, and suddenly stopped to look behind him. His pursuer, a certain scarred blonde, had her attention diverted to the dancing just beyond the white-turning-gold fence. She was shaking with fury while Kir was trying to soothe her. It wasn't working.

"C-c'mon Cassis, I'm sure he -"

But the blue-eyed girl simply threw her broken candy cane hard to the ground and stomped off.

"Cassis, wait!"

She utterly ignored him as she slipped into the multi-colored foliage.

"What was that about?" asked Dalios, still somewhat out of breath.

"Oh, jealousy, love triangles and the like," Razekar replied vaguely, pointing over the fence. "The kind of things I like to stay out of."

The short youngster barely managed to climb the fence to get a look. His expression became irritated.

"That figures," the emerald-eyed boy grumbled. "We're supposed to be hunting down Leonidas, and all anyone cares about is trying to get a date. Well, now that Blondie isn't trying to kill me with a monster candy cane and I've found you, I suppose we better start looking for the guy."

"Actually, I think I'll stay here and make sure the two lovebirds here don't get ambushed by their lovesick counterparts," replied Razekar, his eyes distant. "I'll be more useful that way, I think. You know, keeping people alive and stuff."

Dalios gave him a suspicious look.

"I can help," offered Kir, flying over to the red-clad child.

"Oh no, you were the one that set Blondie on my tail and kept dive-bombing me when she was chasing me around," growled Dalios, glaring at the bird.

"Oh yeah, there was that…" replied the black albatross, smiling a little too broadly.

"Ah, I don't need you guys anyway," the white-haired youth barked, tramping off with Rolly happily following. "I'll just do this myself!"

IIIIIIIII

Falcon didn't really care where he was storming off to. All these crazy colors confused him anyway. Right then he just wanted to find a good place to sulk. Soon he found the perfect spot to brood, by a large block of marble with a huge fireball of blue flame floating on top. He plopped behind the pedestal and watched the blue flames uneasily.

"It's not fair," mumbled Falcon. "Why does he hafta be so popular? All he does is steal a buncha fancy stuff and he's the greatest guy in the world. I train me and my rabbits every day to protect people, and what do I get…?"

Suddenly Cassis erupted from the bushes nearby, briefly breaking Falcon out of his train of thought. She flopped down against a nearby blue-turning-purple tree trunk and mumbled to herself. She eyed the flames as if they were to be feared.

"Hey, this is my sulking spot," the cobalt-clad boy growled, glaring at the blue-eyed girl. "Go find your own."

Cassis glared back.

"And what if I don't feel like it?"

"Then I'll make you move."

"Go ahead and try, bunny boy."

The two blondes heatedly leered at each other, but then both of them slumped forward and heaved a loud sigh.

"How dare he," Cassis growled. "First he makes fun of my dress, and then he goes off and dances with that other girl. Next time I see him, I'm gonna crush his skull under my heel."

"Uh…isn't that kinda harsh?"

"NO!"

"Well, I've been nice to the princess all this time and stuff, but she only cares about that stupid bandit guy," Falcon hissed.

"He's such a jerk!"

"She's just a snob!"

"He's as selfish as ever!"

"I bet she just likes him because he has _king _in his title!"

They glared at the sky in opposite directions as if they dared it to argue with them.

"I don't know why I bother," they both stated simultaneously.

The blondes fell into silence.

"…What do you see in that Bandit King anyway?" Falcon finally asked, turning to the blue-eyed girl in a hot pink dress. "You two seem real close."

"Well…he's always getting into trouble and I just want to hit him over the head with my bat sometimes…" began Cassis, picking up a small stick and starting to make nonsensical shapes in the soft soil around her. "…But he really does have a good heart and cares about what happens to people, even if he doesn't know them. And he's always been brave, of course. He's just such a stubborn idiot, always trying to look cool while he's stealing some fancy gem or painting or something…"

The fair-haired fighter looked up to the sky.

"Huh. Guess that makes sense."

The scarred blonde smiled slightly as her doodle in the ground was starting to take the form of a cat.

"You know, he wasn't that great at stealing when we first met," added the girl in a hot pink dress. "He couldn't even speak the common tongue that well. It made him almost impossible to understand. We had to teach him ourselves how to properly speak, and even then he'd still speak Chesirian if you surprised him or he got upset. I was _Cassu _for the longest time, since he couldn't say my name right. He was able to pronounce it properly eventually, but he'd usually call me _Cassu _anyway…out of habit, probably, though I know he's used it to try to butter me up before…"

"Like earlier?" asked Falcon.

"Yeah," Cassis responded, a bit of a growl to her voice. "Or if I caught him stealing stuff in general. Like I said before, he wasn't _that_ great when I first met him."

"But he's real good now, huh?"

"Yeah…" the scarred blonde answered quietly. "And now I know why."

"Huh?" the fair-haired fighter asked blankly.

Cassis turned to Falcon.

"So what about you? Why do _you _like the princess of Zaza so much?"

The fair-haired fighter's face became an odd shade of scarlet.

"Uh…what makes you think I like her?"

"It's obvious enough."

"…Really?"

"Yeah."

Falcon sighed.

"Uh, well, it's just…" he began, still looking a bit red in the face. "…she doesn't let people push her around, or hide whenever things get rough, like most princesses do. She's a really tough fighter and stuff. Did you see her at the Mascarrera at Zaza? She was really awesome there! I mean, she took down all these thugs in heavy armor with just one blow of her sword!"

Cassis smirked.

"I'd think you'd prefer some sweet little girl for you to protect. You seem to be the wannabe hero type after all."

"Yeah, I thought that too, but that didn't work out so well, huh?" Falcon muttered, almost to himself. "And whaddaya mean I'm a _wannabe_ hero?! I _am _a hero!"

"You just keep telling yourself that."

Falcon was about to retort when his attention was diverted upwards.

"Hey, where'd the flame go?" he asked, looking to the now-empty pedestal of marble.

Cassis also stared at the blank spot.

"Flame?" she questioned, giving the cobalt-clad Chesirian an odd look. "Wasn't there a _statue _up there?"

IIIIIII

Razekar leaned against the gold-turning-white fence, looking up to the black-turning-indigo sky. Kir had flown off somewhere, probably to find himself a dancing partner like the Bandit King had. The lanky thief, however, now had his back turned to Jing and Stir.

…_Stop being stupid. That place was fake. Something must've happened to the dam when it really happened, otherwise…_

"…Otherwise the dam would never have broken."

Razekar jumped, a few stray strings of electricity dancing into the air. He turned to his left and saw the woman from before, with her black curly hair done up in a bun. She had on a simple black dress that was close-fitting.

"Caught you off guard, did I?"

"Well, you do have a habit of popping out of nowhere, my lady," the young man with golden-orange hair stated.

"Perhaps. Or maybe you just weren't paying attention," she replied coolly.

"Well, maybe that too."

"It doesn't matter, let's go over here," she suggested, walking to a more open space lying just beyond some orange-turning-red trees. "Somewhere with a little more privacy."

"Sure, why not?" replied the lanky thief. "I've been bored silly here anyway."

IIIII

On the other side of the fence, Stir noticed the lanky thief wasn't anywhere in sight.

"Where's Raze? Wasn't he here just here a minute ago?"

"Hmm…dunno," the Bandit King answered with disinterest, as they continued to waltz. "Left to find his own dancing partner, perhaps?"

The princess, whose eyes were changing from gold to orange, felt the boy in the tuxedo leading the dance away from the fence.

"…Sounds about right," Stir answered, resting her head on his shoulder.

Jing rested his head on her shoulder in return, his emerald eyes turning sapphire.

"All the more reason to enjoy our dance, right princess?"

"…Right, Jing," she replied, smirking slightly. "No, not Jing, Ima-"

"Don't call me that."

Stir raised her head up slightly.

"Please, you don't need to call me that," the Bandit King answered, more softly. "Jing will be fine."

Quietly she rested her head again, but her green-turning-blue eyes swirled restlessly.

IIIII

"Wouldn't you like to dance, my lady?"

The woman in the black dress gave him a mildly surprised look as he extended his hand towards her.

"…No thank you. I've never been one for dances."

"Then why'd you come to a party then?" asked Razekar, taking his hand back.

"Perhaps I just wanted to check on a certain someone to make sure he wasn't making a fool out of himself, like he was back at the dam?"

The young man with golden-orange hair averted his gaze.

She smirked.

"But why are you so concerned about illusions, Razekar?" the lady continued. "It wasn't like anyone was _really _killed when that dam broke. It would be rather naïve to feel guilty about such a thing. But then again, you've always been a bit naïve."

The lanky thief was quiet.

"Unless it reminds you that you aren't as naïve as you would like you think?"

"…For some stray vamp, you seem to know a lot about me."

"And I've told you that you're a forgetful one. You've been getting more forgetful every day."

"Well, maybe if you just tell me your name, I'll remember you," suggested Razekar, smirking.

She strolled over to him and took his hands, as if they were about to dance. The young man with golden-orange hair looked surprised, but no sparks zipped across his frame.

"For your information," she began. "My name is Leonidas."

Those words would be the last sound Razekar would hear for the longest time, before the golden chaos began to submerge his mind.

IIIII

The colors inverted suddenly.

Jing and Stir both froze in place, their waltz forgotten, and the thin layer of star-spotted water still at their feet. The colors stopped shifting, and the two of them returned to their original hues.

"…It's gotten someone else!" Stir hissed, and she and Jing broke out of their dancing pose and began to rush toward the fence. "Damn it, I've been dancing around like an idiot and now-"

"Certainly you don't regret our dance that much."

"Look Jing-"

"Hey, what happened?!" yelled Kir, flying over to the Bandit King. "You guys okay?!"

"Yeah, we're fine," Jing replied. "But I think we'll be needing your help in a bit."

He grabbed the black avian with his right hand, and instantly the dark albatross began glowing bright, bright green as he attached to Jing's arm. He glowed so bright, Stir was almost blinded. The albatross's tuxedo was ripped to pieces.

"Let's go!"

As Jing and Stir leapt over the fence, Kir still giving off a brilliant green light, _it_ came into sight. Jing saw the cat monster with the false face floated over to them lazily, its smile unchanging. The loose fur draping off its body was no longer striped purple and white, but had become plain orange. A few feet beyond the mutant feline he could see Razekar lying unconscious on the ground, shadow-gold energy crackling around him. The ground beneath the lanky thief was beginning to crack.

"Razekar!" Stir exclaimed, before shooting a glare her opponent. "Why are you doing this?! If there's anyone you should be after, it's me! Leave the others out of this!"

"No need to be _that_ noble, princess," the boy in the black tuxedo assured, as he stepped in front of her and aimed Kir at the fake feline. The transformed bird's form crackled dangerously with energy as a green orb of light began to form in his mouth.

"Give me a Kir RoyAAAAAAAAAH!"

"JING!" Stir screamed.

Sharp threads of shining power rushed down the Bandit King's body, immobilizing him. The overload of energy came directly from his right arm, which was pulsing brilliantly and erratically with overwhelming light underneath the black albatross's metamorphosed body. Kir himself glowed brighter and brighter while squawking and twisting his head from side to side. The half-formed Kir Royale flew from the albatross's mouth in deformed blasts and jolts, creating a fantastic fireworks display in shades of green. The cat snickered before melting into the cracking ground like living paint.

Kir reverted back to his original form and fell to the ground in a daze, still sizzling with green power. Jing gripped his right arm, the sleeve of his tuxedo eaten away and the limb still throbbing with light. From where Kir had been clamped onto him while he was in gun mode, fresh burns now branded his arm.

"My god, are you allright?!" Stir called out, running over to him and examining his injuries. "Those burns look bad. We need to treat them right away."

"Don't worry, they're nothing a Bandit King can't handle," Jing replied, smirking slightly. "Besides, looks like everything's about to be reset anyway."

The silver-eyed princess looked around and saw that the cracks were covering the entire area like a demented spider web. Pieces of the starry sky were beginning to fall, revealing the brilliant colors just under the surface.

"You're right…" she responded, looking at Jing. "But why didn't Kir Royale work?"

"I dunno. Nothing like this has ever happened before," The gray-eyed boy admitted, lightly touching one of the burns and wincing.

The world shattered, and the vivid hues flooded in, engulfing everyone and everything.

_But why…I'm the…Bandit King…I shouldn't be…so…_

**59****th**** Shot: Glimpse of the Cat**

When Falcon finally came to on the sidewalk, there was no one else with him. Just sinister, towering, buildings guarding a gloomy, rain-slick street. The tops of the buildings couldn't be seen for all the sickly gray smoke enveloping them. Or, for that matter, could he see the sky.

_Huh? Whose world are we in now?_

It was a rowdy place, with unmanned machines chugging along, empty cars whizzing by, and electronic advertisement boards blaring about their goods. Smog swirled around him more affectionately than he liked. There was no one in sight, and yet the fair-haired fighter felt as if he was being watched from all sides.

Suddenly, the falsely cheerful chatter of the talking billboards was interrupted by a panicked yell.

A child of about ten scurried from behind one of the sharp metal corners of one of the sky-reaching buildings. His hair was red and flat on his head, and his clothes were dark and ragged. In his arms was a large white egg with a fancy label on it, and in his deep blue eyes was a look of sheer panic.

Moments later a group of thugs came charging after the boy. Most of these thugs weren't of flesh and blood at all, but of paint and metal. Leading them was a huge man in a flashy red-and-purple business suit, with a huge cigar in his mouth.

"Get him! Before the egg stirs!" the huge man barked. "I will not have my Burdensome Gun corrupted by some hood!"

The redhead swiftly fled into one of the many alleyways dotting the sides of the street. Seeing the pack of thugs stampeding ahead like enraged bulls, Falcon decided to swiftly follow the young thief's lead.

The cobalt-clad Chesirian had only got a few steps into the alley, however, before he ran right into the redhead and nearly knocked both of them down. After he regained his footing, Falcon soon saw why they had stopped.

It was funny seeing Razekar in a formal black suit and a matching hat, frozen at the very end of a ladder he was on, and staring at them blankly. Strapped to his back was a sack filled with things that most likely did not belong to him. Around his hat was wrapped a bright red ribbon.

_There's Raze…but what's he doing with all that stuff? Oh wait, didn't he say that he used to be a thief for hire back at his old city? But that must mean…_

"Uh…don't mind us, just passing through," the blue-eyed blond tried to reassure the lanky thief in a black suit, nervously rubbing the back of his head.

Razekar smirked.

"No problem kid," he replied, jumping off the ladder. "Just picking up a few things for the Big Shot.

It took the cobalt-clad Chesirian a few moments to realized that he wasn't talking about Pharos, but of someone else.

Suddenly they heard the maddened cries of the thugs and their leader as they steadily became louder and louder. The redhead boy panicked and hastily tried to find somewhere to hide. The young man with golden-orange hair grew more sober and narrowed his mismatched eyes.

Falcon could've sworn that he saw his left eye, the orange one, glow ever so faintly.

"Ah, been looking for that fella," Razekar stated, a cool smile returning to his face. "One sec."

He almost teleported out of the alleyway, his movements just barely seen by Falcon, and arrived in front of the huge man lingering just outside.

"Hello there, old boy. Been looking for you all over, you know."

"Who are you?" growled the leader with the huge cigar, glaring at the lanky thief.

"Oh, nobody too important," Razekar replied, smiling. "Just a fella sent to pick up a few goods and deliver a message."

"And just what message do you have for me?"

The young man's serene expression did not change.

"The Big Shot is very disappointed that you refused his offer, and so we will have no more business dealings with you."

The huge man never had the chance to reply.

Crimson flew fearfully into the air, a soul swiftly severed with a single slice of a laser blade. The metallic thugs rushed to attack even as their master fell to the ground for the last time, madly bleeping and screeching. As the robotic brutes approached, the young man with golden-orange hair seemed to explode with bluish-white power. A single godly bolt of artificial lightning was all it took to shatter the hooligan machines to charred, smoking pieces.

Falcon couldn't move.

_What…why did he…_

"Crap! It's a torpedo!" shouted the redhead.

"…Torpedo?" the fair-faired fighter asked, though he a bad feeling that he already knew what it meant.

"You know, assassin!" the egg-carrying child barked. "C'mon, let's get outta here before he goes after us too!"

As they quickly fled from the scene, Falcon paid a quick glance backward. Razekar was taking the ribbon off his hat and destroying it with a quick jolt of electricity. This time he was sure that he saw Razekar's left eye shining brilliant orange.

IIIIII

"Man, what a dump," Cassis growled, leering at the gigantic buildings clawing at the hidden heavens. She had woken up in this strange world only a little while ago, much like Jing and Stir nearby. Only a few minutes in this place, and she was already tired of it.

Suddenly a ragtag machine selling hologram newspapers and wine bottles went sailing by, nearly running them all over. Jing helped pull the two girls out of harm's way, but Cassis heard him suck in his breath sharply.

Stir heard it as well.

"Are you allright?" she asked him.

"Yeah, I'm fine," the black-haired boy replied, turning away from the girls as he gingerly stroked his right arm. The scarred blonde noticed burn marks on his hand.

"Don't lie!" snapped Cassis. "Where did those burns come from?"

"Burns?" questioned Stir, looking down to Jing's right hand and narrowing her eyes. She quickly rolled up his right sleeve, revealing a pattern of burns shaped like a series of ribs clamped to his arm. The Bandit King winced slightly.

"What? Why are these still here…?" the silver-eyed princess muttered.

"Whoa! What happened?!" exclaimed Cassis.

"Kir Royale backfired earlier," Stir explained, bringing out some bandages. "And the energy burned Jing instead."

"But why did it backfire?" asked the bat-wielder.

"It might've had something to do with trying to use it when the world was about to change," answered Jing, examining the burns while Stir began to wrap them up. "At least it would explain why the burns didn't heal up. Maybe injuries have to occur before the flux time in order to be mended right away. Not that a few burns will stop this Bandit King."

Cassis wasn't sure if she liked the look in those steel-hued eyes.

"Um…Jing…"

"YAAAAA!"

The three of them snapped their heads in the direction of Kir, who was fleeing from a giant gorilla-like robot with an empty cage in the middle of its abdomen.

"All-Burdensome-Guns-To-Be-Collected," it droned without passion, chasing after the black albatross on all four mechanical limbs.

The Bandit King seemed just slightly amused at the sight.

"Need a little help there, Kir?" he asked, as Stir finished tending to the burns.

The dark avian stopped screaming long enough to notice Jing and the two girls. He eagerly flew over to the obsidian-haired thief.

"Boy, am I glad to see you!" Kir greeted. "That monkey thing's been after me ever since I got here. Apparently it thinks I'm a Burdensome Gun without a partner. Hey, what's wrong with your arm?!"

"Oh, nothing's terribly wrong with it," the boy in the blazing coat replied casually, holding the bandaged arm up. "So why don't we prove you have a partner then?"

"Wait, Jing!" Stir exclaimed. 'What're you-"

"Oh, don't worry, it'll work this time," the boy with steel-hued eyes answered, as he walked ahead of the girls and took hold of Kir with his right hand. "I'll make sure of it."

The dark albatross glowed bright green and began to transform. He was giving off such an outstanding light that Stir was afraid that another backfire was going to occur. But the awesome illumination soon died down, revealing a fully transformed Kir.

But this wasn't Kir's usual gun form.

For one, it was much larger, with much wider wings and a thicker ribcage that almost completely covered Jing's right arm. The excess black backbone was draped over the Bandit King's shoulder and nearly touched the ground. The black albatross's head was larger too, and had an almost reptilian look to it. His beak was jagged, pointed, and black, not gray, and the eyes were green, not gray, with slitted pupils. All his feathers were blacker than black, with a dazzling green-and-purple sheen to them.

Jing pointed the changed Kir at the primate machine, and began to give off bright green light.

"Give me a Kir Royale!"

The blast was enormous, even for Kir Royale. It incinerated the metal gorilla with ease, and plowed through the rest of the street mercilessly. As the attack finally faded away, the street sizzled and glowed like it had been hit by a radioactive blast.

Cassis and Stir stared at the destruction before the Bandit King.

"…Just a tad bit overkill, don't you think?" asked the platinum-haired warrior, smirking slightly.

"Oh, I dunno," Jing replied, still glowing.

Then he turned around and looked at them, a cool smirk on his face and his pupils slitted like a panther's.

"Got the job done, didn't it?"

Those shadow-emerald eyes grew mildly curious at the girls' surprised and unsettled silence.

"What is it?" he asked, still smirking.

"Your eyes," Cassis began, pointing to one of her own. "They've gone all weird like they do when you use that other form with Kir."

"Really?" the obsidian-haired thief replied nonchalantly, turning to the glass of a nearby shop. He saw his own panther eyes examining him back. He smiled slyly, as if amused.

"So they are."

"Well, doesn't that bother you any?" Stir growled. "I mean, Kir's transformation back when the world was about to break definitely wasn't stable, and this one doesn't look normal either. Your arm's already injured as it is, so I don't think it's a good idea for you to be launching attacks with that kind of power with it. And if it's messing with your eyes, then who knows what else it could be doing to you."

"Oh, I'm not worried," the bandit in the blazing coat replied. "My eyes change like this when they're in flight mode, like Cassis said, and it doesn't have any harmful effects then. And I believe Kir's form has just evolved, which would explain why Kir Royale was so unstable before. Kir was still in the middle of evolving. But if you don't want to see my eyes…"

Using his free hand, he brought out of his right pocket a certain violet cat mask with swirly eyes and a grin far too wide to be sane. He swiftly and cleanly placed the feline false face over his real face.

"…Then you don't have to look at them."

Then he bounded up to the roofs in the sky, ignoring both of the girls' calls.

IIIII

"Why'd we leave Cassis and Stir?" asked Kir, his voice having more of a hissing growl to it in his new gun form.

"We didn't need them," the Bandit King replied, as he jumped from roof to roof effortlessly. "Besides, we'll have a better chance of finding out where Razekar is if we split up and explore the area."

"Looking for me, you say?"

The thief wearing the false face paused and calmly turned to the lanky young man wearing a black suit. He was standing on an adjacent rooftop, bearing a cool smile and leering mismatched eyes.

"That was one ritzy light show you put on back there," Razekar commented, his expression still remaining not quite friendly. "Not too many ordinary people have those, you know. What were you taking a shot at in the middle of the street?"

"Oh, I was just getting rid of a robot chasing after my partner here," replied the Bandit King, lifting up the right arm that Kir was currently bound to.

"That so?" the young man wearing a ribbonless hat asked. "But I doubt you came all this way just to rub out a stray ape. What brings you here to Blackstone Merlot?"

"Who says I need a reason?" the obsidian-haired thief answered.

"Bull, I know a fellow torpedo when I see one," Razekar growled, his left eye glowing briefly. "…And judging by the fact that there's no kind of identification on you, I'd say you're one of the better ones. Care to tell me who hired you?"

"No one hired me," stated the boy with the grinning cat face. "The Bandit King needs no one."

"Bandit King, huh?" asked the assassin with golden-orange hair. "Not the sneakiest glad rags you have on there. The bright glow kinda gives you away too. But that doesn't mean that I won't take you seriously …"

Razekar began to shine bluish-white with electricity.

"Should we fight him, Jing?" asked Kir.

"Why not? It could tell us a lot. Besides, it should be fun."

The boy in the blazing coat pointed the dark albatross at the lanky young man, and green power began to charge in Kir's open mouth.

IIIII

"Ugh! The nerve of him! Just leaving us like that!" Cassis ranted, her baseball bat resting across her shoulder as she marched down the ruined street. "We're supposed to be sticking together, not splitting up!"

Stir silently studied a melted lamppost as she walked slightly behind.

"He could've been more careful with Kir Royale too," the scarred blonde continued. "Thank god there aren't any people on these streets, or he could've been a murderer! Where _is _everyone, anyway…?"

"He hasn't been acting right," the silver-eyed princess spoke.

The blue-eyed girl paused.

"…No, he hasn't," she agreed, looking up to the purple-gray smoke encircling the tall black structures surrounding the street. "He hasn't been acting right since…"

"…Since he was forced to remember his mother's death," the dark-clad warrior finished for her. "Yeah, I've noticed that…"

"…I always thought that the whole Bandit King was just something he used as an excuse to go on adventures and be reckless," Cassis stated. "I guess it was, really. I just didn't know how much he relied on it, no idea really. He's relying on it even more now that those olds wounds have gotten torn open…"

"Yeah…"

"Well, it's all the more reason to hurry up and find him!" the bat-wielder announced, proudly swinging her wooden weapon into the air and proceeding with her marching. "God knows what stupid things he might do while he's like this…I didn't come all this way just to lose him now!"

"How _did _you survive out there in the real world, anyway?" Stir asked. "I'm guessing that you moved around too often to get a stable job, since you were looking Jing, and you don't strike me as having the stealth or the patience for hunting food. Were you a little Miss Bandit Queen for a while?"

"I was busy being a heroine!" the blue-eyed blonde declared pompously. "I beat up wanted bad guys, took them to the jail, and got paid for it. No stealing required, though I had to get after the boys about that…"

"So you were a mercenary, huh?" concluded the silver-eyed princess, looking just slightly amused. "Interesting…"

"I wasn't a mercenary!" barked Cassis. "I told you, I was a heroine!"

"You beat up wanted bad guys, took them to the jail, and got paid for it. That's what a mercenary does," Stir stated.

"No! Mercenaries are heartless people who just take whatever job they can find for the money, no matter what it is!" snapped the bat-wielder. "I only took the jobs that let me deliver justice!"

"So you were a good-hearted mercenary."

"NO! I was taking out bad guys to make the world a better place! If I didn't need the money so badly I would've done it for free!"

"But you still took the money, so you were a mercenary."

"No I wasn't!"

"Yes you were."

"NO I WASN'T!"

"You're going to get hit by stray torpedo attacks if you just stand there in the open like that."

Both girls stopped and snapped their heads to the side.

On the sidewalk was a woman with black, curly hair tied up in a messy bun, with glasses perched on her nose. She wore a plain white blouse with black pants and a black vest, with high-heeled shoes. Her deep brown eyes studied Stir and Cassis with annoyance.

"Well, I guess some people just think they're invincible, huh Miss Daisy?"

Just behind here was a ten-year-old boy, wearing a slick blue suit, matching brimmed hat, opaque sunglasses, and a solemn expression. He was sorting through a stack of papers in his hands. The voice of that child, however, as well as the corgi mutt hunkering at all the loud noise, were all too familiar.

"Dalios?" asked Stir. "What are you doing?"

"…Hmm?" hummed the youngster in a suit, tilting his head slightly. The silver-eyed princess couldn't see what his emerald eyes were saying because of the sunglasses. "…What do you want?"

"You know these two?" asked the one called Daisy. "…And I'd prefer that you'd call me Miss Wheel, child."

"Of course," the boy with sunglasses replied formally, giving the black-haired lady a slight bow. "And can't say I know these two, nope."

Both girls balked.

"What are you talking about?! It's us!" snapped Cassis.

"Us as in…?"

"Cassis and Stir!"

"…Nope, don't know you."

The scarred blonde's gaze narrowed.

"…Now look here, you," Cassis growled, walking over toward him. "I think you better come with us, and we'll get this memory thing all-"

The woman in a plain white blouse stepped in front of Dalios, brown eyes glaring. Rolly peeked around, panting cheerfully.

"What makes you think I would humiliate myself by letting one of my lackeys be taken for a ride by some common hoods?" she hissed, taking off her glasses and stuffing them carelessly into her pocket. "Good help is hard to find, considering that everyone's cowering in their beds."

With a quick crick of the hand, she summoned from her metal wristband a small dagger with two red spots painted on it. She pointed it at Cassis.

"So you see, it would be best if you backed down now. I don't feel like dealing with such scum as you at the moment."

Cassis glared at her.

"Well, too bad," the bat-wielder growled, as she lunged forward.

Daisy Wheel leapt back with ease from Cassis's strike, her high-heeled shoes converting into flat-soled shoes. Just before her feet reached the ground, miniature rocket flares erupted from her footwear, and she glided swiftly to the left.

"Huh? Where'd she- whoa!" the blue-eyed blonde exclaimed, narrowing avoiding a slash from the opponent's sharp blade. The woman soon skated away from sight again.

_Damn, she's fast._

"Behind you!" Stir shouted.

Cassis spun around and swung her bat hard. The lady with curly hair neatly ducked the blow and slipped away once more.

The silver-eyed princess felt a ball of compressed electric energy whiz past her head. She whipped her head around to see that Dalios was pointing a small blue handgun at her, with a simple lightning bolt painted on each side. Rolly watched the action from a distance, yawning.

"Now that's cheating, girl," the white-haired youth sneered. "If you're bored, you can fight with me."

"What are you doing?! You're supposed to be on our side!" the dark-clad warrior exclaimed.

"I'll decide what side I'm on, thank you very much," Dalios answered, the lightning-bolt pattern on the sides of his gun beginning to glow yellow.

With a grunt, Stir jumped away from the electric bullets and took a defensive stance.

Cassis paid a quick glance back at the ensuing battle before evading another stab from the russet-eyed woman. She tried to hit her with her bat, and missed by inches.

_Great, I can't a single hit on this Daisy person, and Dalios has lost his freaking mind._

The scarred blonde noticed the black-haired woman speeding toward her from the side. The bat-wielder prepared her block.

Then Daisy flicked her wrist, and the blade shot out of the metal band at blinding speed. Cassis made a hasty dodge, but the projectile left a small cut on her arm. The short dagger abruptly stopped in midair and returned to its master, reeled in by a nearly invisible string attached to the back-end of the blade.

_So that thing's more like a spearhead on a string than an actual knife. As if she wasn't hard enough to hit already…now she has range too._

Now the russet-eyed woman stood in one place, her string-spear half-extended and reared up like a serpent about to attack. Whenever Cassis tried to rush forward, the spearhead lunged itself at her at a blazing rate, forcing her to fall back to avoid getting skewered. Daisy lazily floated from side to side, as if bored.

_Damn it, she's toying with me. _

"Hey princess!" called Cassis.

"I'm a little busy here! What do you want?!" Stir barked, evading Dalios's electric bullets. Her sword was in her grasp, but the sword itself was still cloaked in its sheath. Cassis guessed she had the sheath over it so she wouldn't cut the boy with the sunglasses when she struck him.

"Can you give me some of those moon-boomerang things?" the scarred blonde asked, as she got a cut on the cheek when the spearhead came too close for comfort. "You know, those things you were throwing around back in Zaza?"

"Fine. I don't want to use them against Dalios anyway," the platinum-haired princess replied, tossing the blue-eyed girl a few of the golden half-faces before ducking some more electric bullets.

"Thanks," responded Cassis, whirling around and flinging one of the gilded discs at the russet-eyed lady. It whipped past her hair, and crashed into an advertisement board without ever spreading its blades. The ad let out an ear-numbing squawk and fizzled out.

"Huh?" the girl in baseball clothes responded, staring at the golden half-face lodged in the wall behind now-defunct electric billboard. "Why didn't it work?"

In annoyance, she threw another golden disc at Daisy. The black-haired woman swerved aside in a simple motion, and once again the gilded disc collided into a nearby wall without becoming a blade boomerang in half-flight.

"Princess, I can't get these stupid things to work!" she shouted back to the dark-clad warrior behind her.

Stir was briefly stunned as one of the electric bullets hit her arm and shocked her. Before Dalios could fire another spray of projectiles, however, Stir dashed over and struck Dalios in the chest with her blunted blade. He let out a grunt as he stumbled back. Rolly looked like he was about to rush into the battle, but one glance from the suit-clad boy caused him to stay where he was.

"All you have to do is throw them!" the silver-eyed princess yelled back to the blonde.

"I did that! They wouldn't go into boomerang form and crashed into the wall."

"You must not be throwing them right!"

Cassis glared at the uncooperative gilded discs in her hand.

"Ah, screw it!" she snapped, tossing one golden half-face into her air and drawing back her bat. "I aim better this way anyway."

With a mighty swing, she struck the disc hard and sent it flying into Daisy's left shoulder. The black-haired lady let out a cry and massaged her upper arm.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" Stir snapped, as she took another swipe at the short youngster and missed.

"What? It worked, didn't it?" Cassis answered back, before seeing Daisy rushing at her.

With a few swift swishes of her string-spear, the russet-eyed lady had the scarred blonde tied up in the thin thread of her weapon. Then, with a quick downward clench of her fist, the colorless wire became alive with electricity, and the bat-wielder screamed at the tops of her lungs.

"Cassis!" Stir shouted, forgetting about Dalios and rushing to the scene.

Daisy turned a lazy eye to the oncoming warrior princess. Jerking hard on her weapon's string, she hurled the scarred blonde at the platinum-haired girl, knocking both of them against the wall. Stir managed to get herself back on her feet, while Cassis staggered up, out of breath.

The black-haired lady took one step, and seconds later a series of lightning-bolts fell down on the street all around them. They all looked up to the smog hugging the higher elevations of the city.

Flashes of green and bluish-white patched the purple-gray smoke, like a maelstrom gone wrong. A huge beam of green power shot down into the next block, all but decimating it. Those were followed by more lightning plowing through the sidewalk, leaving charred gashes. Two of the attacks slammed together, creating a devilish shower of white sparks and green energy balls.

"What does Jing think he's doing?!" Cassis yelled, shielding herself from the glowing debris with her arms. "There's not going to be any city left at this rate!"

Daisy hissed to herself as she and Dalios fled from the rain of power.

"We need to fall back too," stated Stir. "I don't know what's going on up there, but we're in no condition for another fight right now."

As the two of them began to run, a blast of green energy struck where they had stood a few seconds before.

IIIII

"What a mess…" Stir muttered to herself, as she wandered different, but just as empty, streets. The scarred blonde sluggishly followed behind her, breathing through her mouth.

"…How much farther do we have to walk?" groaned Cassis.

"With all these fights breaking out between assassins everywhere, we can't afford to stay in one place for long," Stir explained, again. "No wonder we haven't seen any ordinary people out here."

The blue-eyed girl moaned louder.

It was something that the silver-eyed princess had seen in a newspaper, an ordinary old grim newspaper lying on the ground of all things. The big companies of this area were having an all-out war, sending these "torpedoes" everywhere to dispatch their competition. The grimy old newspaper said this kind of behavior had been going on for quite some time, but then it had been more rare and discreet. Now the torpedoes weren't even trying to hide their assassinations or assassination attempts.

Now, with so many torpedoes roaming this city called Blackstone Merlot, the assassins were turning against each other and engaging in great battles. It didn't matter where they fought, or what damaged they caused, though they preferred the smog-stuffed tops of the city. Many of their weapons fired energy, and much of the time the popular weapon was the Burdensome Gun, apparently a high-class weapon that originated here, according to the grimy old newspaper. They were so high-class that they were banned from the public, and the top companies were always hunting for more. It certainly explained the scene with Kir and the robot gorilla earlier.

As the grimy old newspaper had fell apart in her hands at the slightest wind, Stir wondered just how long this business war had gone on.

So now they drifted through the practically vacant city, hoping to spot a familiar face.

"Now, if I were Razekar, where would I be…?" the dark-clad warrior muttered to herself, before noticing a certain bat-wielder wasn't following her anymore. "…Cassis?"

"Screw it, I'm going this way…" grumbled the blue-eyed girl's voice, as the last of her leg disappeared behind a building corner.

"Hold on, we need to stick together!" shouted Stir, running after her. When she turned the corner and started down the alleyway, she bumped into someone half her size.

"I'm sorry!" the silver-eyed princess apologized, looking down at the short stranger. "I didn't-"

Then she froze.

Dusting herself off and glaring at her was a ten-year-old Cassis, wearing a black-and-blue jacket and a blue baseball cap. Her face was scarless.

"Watch where you're going, lady!" the mini-Cassis growled.

"Lady?"

"Well, what else should I call you? Miss?"

"Uh…Cassis…don't you…"

"Huh? How'd you know my name?" asked the little blonde. "…Are you some weird stalker or something?"

"…Why would I stalk you?" Stir asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well…I dunno," the young blue-eyed girl admitted. "Hey, have you seen this guy with black hair, an orange coat, and a black albatross? He's about my age."

"Well…"

"Have you?"

"Not…really…"

"Fine, I'll go find him myself," announced the little blonde, running down toward the opposite end of the alley. "I've been looking for that Jing all day! Man, he's gonna get when I find him!"

"Wait!" the platinum-haired girl called out, chasing after her.

As soon as she got around the corner, however, there was no Cassis, child or teenager, to be seen anywhere. Stir leaned against the cool glass and stared at the desolate street.

_What the hell is going on here?!_

_IIIIIII_

_**Author Notes**_

_First, please understand that Razekar has not known Leonidas previously. Leonidas was simply disguised as someone he once knew, and was bascially letting Razekar know that he was about to get majorly screwed for falling for it XP. Therefore, the Daisy running around in Blackstone Merlot ISN'T Leonidas in disguise. That is the real memory of Daisy, so to speak. I just wanted to make sure no one got confused on that point. _

_Just one wine reference: _

_**Blackstone Merlot - **hints of dark cherry, berries, and spicy clove, with a lingering finish. It's a city with a lot of flavor that's lingered way past its prime, so to speak._

_And a couple of name references too:_

_**Razekar-** Wondering where the heck this came from? XP Razekar's world is heavily based on electronics, so there are names derived from computer parts. Razekar's original name was Razor Card, a card you plug into the motherboard to help transfer data. The name was later blended to become Razekar, and the pronouniciation became completely different (Rah-zay-khar vs Ray-zur Khard) and I still don't know where that 'e' in his name came from...oh well XP._

_**Daisy Wheel**- Like Razekar, her name is derived from a computer part. A Daisy Wheel prints out info on a special tape or ribbon. It's an inferior part nowadays, I believe. _

_Next chapter will probably take awhile, since I must write out the draft, type it up, and have it inspected before I post it._

_**NEXT CHAPTER: **It would be so much easier to keep track of people if their minds could stay in one time period. But there's no such luck, it seems. Falcon meets with the redhead's partner, and it seems that neither of Falcon's new friends are strangers. And lord knows where the real Razekar is hidden away among all this chaos..._

_Cya!_


	23. A Stray Expects No Help

_Hello! Sorry for keeping you waiting so long. Trying to sort out all the little details can be a pain sometimes. __The original chapter was much bigger, but I decided to split it in into two chapters. Why must these chars be so complicated? Oh yeah, I made them that way..._

_Disclaimer: I don't own King of Bandit Jing, enough said._

**60****th**** Shot: A Stray Expects No Help**

Dalios couldn't stand all the noise. It was driving him crazy.

The white-haired boy had been hearing an odd static ever since these mind-trips began. It was barely noticeable in Falcon's world, but it had been considerably louder in Jing's world and impossible to ignore in the psycho color garden, and now…

_**WhoWhatWhereWhyComeDriveBlackSky**_

Now it was starting to sound like words. Words deliriously strung together, but words.

_**LieTryCryBlueLaughWhiteSigh **_

It made his head hurt just hearing it, though the words were just a whisper.

_**FamilarPendantMakeAmendment**_

Where was it coming from? Was it coming from the world itself? From Razekar?

_**CrashSmashRumbleCrumbleBirdCollectorFallOfGoldenTumble**_

He obediently listened to the noise in the vacant room, trying to make sense of it all. Rolly sat in front of him and watched him curiously. The emerald-eyed child carefully traced his fingers across the lined pattern on the arm of his chair. Then he pressed his fingers down hard on the arm of the chair, the movement involuntary.

"False white descends, cleanse and amends," he heard himself speak.

Rolly looked up at him in alarm. Dalios returned the apprehensive look.

"What did I just…" he began, before feeling an icy liquid ooze between his fingertips.

Looking down to where his hand was, Dalios saw colors bleed out of the chair's arm. Droplets of rainbow rolled off the side of the plush seat, slipping onto the dull wood floor below.

_Whoa. _

Rolly whined.

Dalios let his fingers sink into the chair's arm. The area rippled as if it was slime. The white-haired boy was only mildly surprised by this strangeness. His calmness amazed and scared him more than the anomoly itself.

**STALLIONFASTCLASPHALFAMAST**

"Ow…" the youngster muttered, holding his free hand over his ear as if someone had just screamed into it.

**SHYNOTSHYNOFEAROFTHEDRY**

Letting his hand sink further into the arm-rest, more and more color running onto the floor, he found himself automatically closing his fingers around a thin string that was submerged somewhere inside.

**COMECOMEFAMILARONE**

Suddenly his mind was racing down that string, which was but one filament in an elaborate web of strings, all centered around, all leading to…

Suddenly from that center came a rush of electricity down the string, shocking Dalios and causing him to cry out. He let go of the string and pulled his hand out of the chair, and the opening in the chair sealed itself up and stopped oozing color, as if it had never been touched. The hues that had bled out of the chair were absorbed unceremoniously into the dull wooden floor, becoming a part of it. The color on the emerald-eyed boy's hand behaved in a similar manner, sinking into his skin and suit and disappearing altogether as he watched.

"You done with those wooden nickels yet?" barked a deep voice just beyond the door to the small dark room, snapping Dalios out of his stupor.

"Almost, Mr. Big Shot!"

"Well hurry up before I feed you to the currs!"

The boy in the slick blue suit grumbled under his breath as he returned to the makeshift printing press and shoved in more wood into its opening. A single press of a button, and the machine growled and groaned as it shook, spitting out the false money into a trap just below it.

The white-haired boy watched the contraption silently.

…_Why, Raze? _

**III**

"Really?! You ran into a Torpedo, Adam?!" an orange-haired girl of eleven years exclaimed, staring at the redhead boy in front of her. They were in one of the many alleyways.

"What's so amazing about that?" asked the boy called Adam, with a certain fair-haired fighter standing right behind him. "The Torpedoes are everywhere, you know."

Falcon cocked his head slightly.

_Adam? You know, that sounds kinda familiar…_

"Yeah, but you saw one and _survived_!" the scarlet-eyed child added excitedly. "That's like, completely awesome!"

"Whatever," answered the redhead, looking annoyed and cradling his egg. "Anyway, I met this guy along the way. His name's Falcon."

"Uh…hey," the cobalt-clad Chesirian greeted with a nervous smile. That grin grew more uneasy as the girl scrutinized him.

"Hey yourself," she replied with a cold edge. "Well I'm Bandit Queen Lilith, so if you're gonna join us, you're gonna hafta do what I say!"

"Bandit Queen…?"

_Oh yeah, I remember these guys! They were at Pharos's tournament at Zaza. That redhead chick was scary… _

"Well?" hissed the young Bandit Queen

"Oh, sure! No problem!" Falcon replied quickly as he snapped back to reality. "I'm kinda new around here, though. What's this place called?"

"Blackstone Merlot," replied Adam, as Lilith cautiously poked at the stolen egg. "Well, it used to be called just Merlot, but now it's known as Blackstone Merlot since the place got shot to hell."

"What happened?" asked the fair-haired fighter.

"Well, back when this place was just Merlot, it was a carefree place, hardly regulated by rules or anything," the blue-eyed thief began, sitting down on a nearby crate. "People partied and played all the time, and anyone who broke the few laws enforced were forced to do the jobs around the city. It seemed like a swell idea at the time; make the bad guys do the work so the good guys didn't have to do anything."

"Sounds pretty good to me too," stated Falcon.

"Well, it wasn't," the redhead boy growled, looking away. "Since the hoods did all the work, while everyone else goofed off all day, only the hoods knew how to do the jobs, so everyone had to depend on them. So in the end the only strong businessmen and economists around were hoods, and, well, you can see how things have gone from there…"

"Yeah…I kinda see what you mean…" answered the cobalt-clad Chesirian, looking up at the glassy yet grimy buildings all around them. "And being a Torpedo's a common job around here, huh?"

"Yep, since all the business bosses around here are just ritzy hoods who want to bump off their competition," replied Lilith, glaring at the tall structures. "Those stupid Torpedoes don't care if their attacks hit some common person, so almost no one leaves their apartments these days. They don't even talk to their friends or neighbors or anything. They're all too afraid that the person next to him is a Torpedo in disguise."

"But how can they survive in their apartments for so long?" asked Falcon. "I mean, don't they have to go outside to get food?"

"Nah, they just order their 'bots to go get any supplies they need," the scarlet-eyed girl answered, watching as a dog-like robot happily carried several groceries on its back. "Heck, most people trust their 'bots more than they do their parents or their kids. Not that they're many kids around anymore besides us. Did you know that if you destroy a 'bot, you can be put to death for murder?"

"….Uh, no actually…"

"And you only get imprisonment for life if you kill a human and get pinched. Kinda sad, huh?" asked Adam, stroking his egg. "When's this thing gonna hatch, anyway?"

"Hey! You guys! Hey!" called out another young voice.

The group turned to the ten-year-old blonde girl walking over to them. Falcon gaped.

The girl had long blonde hair, a faded blue baseball cap, a black-and-blue jacket that was somewhat baggy, and stern blue eyes. A familiar bat rested on her shoulders. Her face was scarless.

_Is it…yeah, it's Cassis! But this is a younger Cassis than I know. Is she stuck in the past too? But wait, I thought this was Raze's world…_

"Uh…" the fair-haired fighter began.

"Have you guys seen a guy about my age, with crazy black hair and a bright orange coat?" the little blonde asked. "His name's Jing."

"Whacha asking us for?" Lilith growled. "Can't you keep track of your boyfriend?"

"He's not my boyfriend!" the young Cassis snapped immediately. "He's just this stupid kid I have to keep an eye on all the time."

"If he's just a stupid kid, why are you looking for him?" asked Adam.

"Cause he's my friend!" the scarless blonde replied. "He might be stupid, but I don't want him to get hurt or anything trying to be the Bandit King or whatever."

"Bandit King, huh?" asked Adam, smirking.

Cassis looked like she was about to challenge that remark when she spotted the egg in his lap.

"Hey, what kind of egg is that?" she asked, leaning close to it. "It kinda reminds me of-"

"Aaaaah! Don't touch me!" screeched the egg, causing Cassis to jump back.

Adam stared at the egg that just talked, which was now bouncing in his lap.

"Who are you?" the egg asked the blue-eyed girl, its voice high-pitched and hissy. "You're bad, aren't you? Go away!"

The bat-wielder eyed the egg with annoyance.

"Well you're real friendly, Mister Egg."

"I'm a girl! A girl!"

The blonde looked surprised.

"You've decided already?"

"Yep!"

"How do you know?" Adam asked the proclaimed female egg, carefully tapping it at the top with one finger.

"Huh? Well…I just do!"

Falcon mutely watched the fiasco with a blank expression.

…_Does it even know what female means?_

"Are you spacing out again, birdie boy?" growled the young Lilith, getting right up in his face.

"Huh?! N-No!"

The orange-haired girl didn't look convinced.

Just then a certain silver-haired girl ran into the alley, pausing to catch her breath. The young Cassis noticed her immediately.

"Oh it's you again," she spoke, bat resting on her shoulders. "Stop stalking me!"

"I'm not stalking you…" Stir panted.

"Yes you are! Now go away!" the scarless blonde barked, running out of the alley. "Jing! Jing, where are you? This weird lady's following me!"

"Wait!" Stir called out, but the young girl either couldn't hear her or ignored her. The dark-clad warrior let out a frustrated groan.

"Uh…hey there, princess," Falcon greeted. "You haven't seen anyone else around here, have you?"

"_Princess_?" Lilith balked, before bursting into obnoxious laughter. "Aww, lil' Falcy's got a giiiiiirlfriend."

"N-NO! It's nothing like that!" the fair-haired fighter exclaimed, waving his hands in front of him while his face turned bright red.

"Oh, I'm _sure_," the orange-haired brat continued, smiling smugly. "Were you having _romantic _daydreams earlier? So sorry to have interrupted them."

"…What is she talking about?" asked Stir, eyebrow raised.

"N-Nothing…"

Stir didn't look any more convinced than Lilith did.

"Hey, what should we name her? The egg, I mean," Adam asked, watching the female egg bounce about.

"How about Princess?" the scarlet-eyed girl suggested with a smirk. "I dunno, we don't even know what kind of animal she is yet…Oh yeah! Adam, you need to put that stuff on your arm now so it'll be ready when that egg finally hatches."

"Put what on?" asked the egg.

"The seal stuff," the blue-eyed boy moaned, as he pulled out a large bottle with a pale opaque liquid inside of it. He eyed the contained substance uneasily.

"…Do I have to?" he whined.

"Of course you have to! Otherwise your arm will get roasted when you try to use that Burdensome Gun," the scarlet-eyed girl growled, scrounging around and finally finding a rusty bucket. "So you've got to give that seal stuff time to set."

"I know," grumbled the redhead, begrudgingly pulling off the top of the bottle and pouring its contents into the bucket. "But it doesn't mean I hafta like it."

"What are you guys doing?" asked Falcon, as he and Stir drew closer.

"Preparing to put a seal on my right arm," answered Adam, rolling up his right sleeve as he cast the empty bottle aside. "Otherwise I won't be able to control all the energy that'll go into my right arm when I fire an attack."

"Ooo, what kind of attack?" asked the egg, hopping over eagerly.

"The kind you're gonna help me with once you hatch," replied the blue-eyed boy, looking down at the milky substance. "Well, here goes."

He kneeled down before the bucket and stuck his right arm deep into the liquid, all the way up to his shoulder. He shuddered.

"_Man_, this stuff's cold," he gasped. "Lilith, can you get me that sling so I can put my arm into it once the seal sets and all."

"Gotcha!" responded the girl with scarlet eyes, dashing off.

"…Why do you need to put you arm in a sling?" asked Stir, noticing Adam wincing slightly.

"What's a sling?" asked the egg.

"Well, I'm not going to be able to use my arm for awhile 'cause this stuff will make it all hard and stiff," Adam explained. "So I'll need to put it in a sling to keep it out of the way when it's like that."

"But how are you gonna use a Burdensome Gun when you can't use your arm?" questioned the fair-haired fighter. "I mean, isn't that kinda pointless?"

"My arm will start working again once the egg is getting ready to hatch."

"But you shouldn't do mean things like that to yourself," stated the egg, hopping up and down next to the redhead. "I don't get what you mean about arms and stuff, but it sounds like a bad thing to lose."

"Trust me, if I didn't have to do it, I wouldn't," stated Adam, shivering. "But you see, when you do a fancy energy attack, a whole bunch of your energy is being drawn to your arm and getting turned into the fuel for the attack and stuff. If the seal wasn't there to keep it in, it'd just shoot everywhere out of your arm and go everywhere whenever you tried to do an attack. You might not even _have _an arm anymore if it gets bad enough."

"Oh…I kinda see your point," Falcon stated. "That would really suck."

Stir stayed silent.

"Yeah," Adam agreed, as Lilith arrived with the sling. "Only a hatched Burdensome Gun can modify the seal enough so that you can use your arm again and pull the energy out safely. But the stuff needs to set some first…hey Lilith, I think I've got enough on now. My arm feels all stiff and numb and stuff."

"'Kay," the scarlet-eyed girl chirped, helping him to his feet as his right arm came out of the bucket.

Adam's arm looked unusually pale, with a slimy film over the skin. It hung limply from his side, motionless except for the occasional twitch.

Lilith carefully put the sling on the blue-eyed boy and helped him put his frozen arm into it. Afterward she hastily wiped the sticky substance off her hands and onto her worn pants.

"Eeeew, why's this stuff gotta be so nasty?"

"What are _you _complaining about?" growled Adam. "You're not the one who has it all soaked up in your arm."

"How long does the seal have to set?" asked Stir, looking at the redhead's disabled limb.

"Only about fifteen minutes, though it'll probably take longer for the egg here to hatch."

"I can hatch faster if you want!" the egg chirped eagerly.

"How far beforehand can you set the seal?" asked the silver-eyed princess. "Months? Years?"

"Well…I guess you could set it years beforehand," Adam replied, looking up. "I dunno why anyone would do that though, 'cause it would really suck. I'm starting to miss my arm already."

Stir paused for a moment.

"What would cause an attack to backfire?" she asked.

"Backfire?" questioned Adam. "…Well, the only thing I can think of is that someone straps on a Burdensome Gun that isn't theirs and tries to attack with it. Either that or the seal's weak or wasn't set properly."

"Hmm…"

As the young thieves tried to keep the egg, who was now bouncing all over the place, under control, Falcon turned to Stir.

"So who's world is this, princess?" he asked quietly. "I know Cassis isn't acting right, but Raze's acting weird too."

"So is Dalios," the dark-clad warrior added. "And I'm not so sure about Jing either. You're the only person I've met who still acts sane."

"Really?"

"Yeah…" she replied. "But I know this is supposed to be Razekar's world. The armor took him out earlier and made the garden world break."

"The armor?"

"Yeah, that's what took out Jing earlier too," the silver-eyed girl explained. "What took you out at the beginning?"

"Uh, it looked like a giant blue fireball," the cobalt-clad Chesirian answered. "And there was this golden wand thing spinning around it. I got hit with it, and then…I dunno, everything got weird."

"A fireball? Strange…I haven't seen anything like that."

"But wait, you said this was Raze's world, right?" the fair-haired fighter suddenly spoke up.

"Yeah."

Falcon looked to the side.

"Then that means…"

A loud boom was heard overhead, following by flashes of white and green in the gray-purple smog above.

"Huh? What was that?" Falcon asked, his gaze shooting upward.

"Sounds like a Torpedo fight," stated Lilith, her scarlet eyes narrowed. "C'mon we better get outta here."

A bolt of electricity struck a nearby trash can, incinerating it.

"Now!" Lilith yelled, as she grabbed the yappity egg and began to run, with the others trailing close behind.

Dashing out of the ally, white and green flashes dancing among the rooftops just behind them, the group found themselves in front of an imposing metallic church. It was not tightly tucked away between its neighboring buildings, but set apart with a mile of space on all sides, the center of a gray circle. Scrawny rose bushes clung to its sides desperately. Its steeple could barely be seen for all the purplish smoke. From its colossal walls thick wires diverged, burrowing into the ground below it like black worms.

"Wow, look at that," spoke Falcon, taking a step forward. A robotic newspaper machine suddenly whizzed by, throwing the newest edition of the paper right into Falcon's face. Adam and Lilith laughed as he groaned and rubbed his nose.

"What is this place?" asked Stir, as Falcon bent down to pick up the hazardous bundle of printed words.

"This is Saint Shiraz," the scarlet-eyed girl answered quietly, sobering up. "It's the sole source of power for the people of Blackstone Merlot."

"Huh? So it's a power plant as well as a church?" asked Falcon, eyeing the newspaper briefly before tossing it aside.

"Well, yeah," replied Lilith. "It powers the entire city. That's what those big cables are for. It's also the only thing the people aren't afraid of."

"Why is that?" asked Stir.

"It's the one place that no one would attack, for one," stated Adam. "That, and that place is where people can be brought back to life."

"Are you serious?!" exclaimed Falcon. "You guys can bring people back from the dead?!"

"That's what I just-"

A beam of green light crashed behind them.

"What was that?!" Falcon shouted.

"That…" Stir stated dryly. "…would be Jing."

A winged figure swooped across the foggy sky, glowing bright green. It flew up into the smog to avoid blue-white lightning bolts coming from the top of a nearby building.

"You've got skill, I'll give you that," spoke the lanky man dressed in a black suit, his hands alight with electricity. "Most fellas would've been bumped off a while ago."

He fired a couple of thunderbolts into the smog.

"It's that Torpedo I saw earlier!" exclaimed Adam, gripping his currently-useless arm with his free hand. "I guess that other guy must be a Torpedo too."

"I don't get it. Why's Jing fighting with Raze?" asked Falcon, turning to Stir.

"I have no idea," the silver-eyed princess admitted. "I can tell you right now that neither one of them cares about where their missed attacks are going to land. Get the kids into the church. They should be safe there."

"But what about you, princess?"

"I've got to keep an eye on Jing to make sure he doesn't get himself killed."

"But-"

"GO!"

"NO!" Falcon snapped back. "Whenever we split up something bad happens. I'm not real smart like Dal is, but I've figured out that much."

"We ain't going either!" yelled Lilith. "Especially not into that church!"

Stir let out a groan.

Just then a green blast of light shot down from the clouds, forcing Razekar to abandon his perch on the rooftop. He landed on the ground, only a few feet away from Stir.

"I wonder what will happen…" echoed Jing's voice from the purple-grey clouds above. "…if I destroy something that wasn't meant to be destroyed."

A green light flickered from within the clouds and then blasted down. The Torpedo with golden-orange hair swiftly jumped out of the way of the beam.

Only the attack wasn't meant for him. Instead, the descending pillar of light burned off the left of the church's metal spires, leaving a melted mess in its wake.

Razekar and the others stared up at the wounded building.

"What does Jing think he's doing?" the silver-haired girl muttered to herself.

The assassin with mismatched eyes glared back up into the clouds, electricity skittering down his frame.

"Bastard!" he barked, throwing himself up to the polluted heavens.

Another green light was flickering in the fog.

"Not this time!" Razekar shouted, sending out strikes of lightning to counter the blast. The thunderbolts reached their target, and the green light was extinguished. But instead of a human cry of pain, there was a great, lifeless roaring.

Water rained down like a hurricane, drenching the streets and the buildings. But most importantly, it drenched lightning-charged Razekar.

The assassin with golden-orange hair screamed as his electricity was turned against him, falling back onto the slick ground.

"Raze!" Falcon exclaimed.

"Huh? You know him?" asked Lilith.

"Uh…well, kinda…"

Jing descended from the smoggy heavens, landing on the ground a few feet away from Razekar. He pointed Kir at the slowly recovering Torpedo.

"Too bad that second light you saw was just one of those neon-signs that happen to glow the same color that Kir Royale does," the Bandit King stated, energy beginning to gather in Kir's open maw. "All I had to do was move it in front of a water-tank. Too bad for you."

"Jing, stop it!" Stir shouted.

"And why should I?" he asked. "If I take out the fake Razekar, then this world will probably become unstable and it'll be easier to find the real Razekar, right?"

"Fake?" questioned the wounded assassin.

"Or it might make the real Razekar think he's dead, and he'll die," the silver-eyed princess countered. "Or maybe the whole place will collapse on us and we'll all be swallowed up. We can't count on _anything_ here, Jing."

"Uh, what are they talking about?" asked Lilith, turning to Falcon.

"Yeah, I don't get it either," echoed Adam, also turning to the fair-haired fighter for answers.

"I don't like all these angry people…" chimed in the egg. "Why are they so angry?"

"It's…kinda a long story…" Falcon began

The cat-faced thief was silent, though still in his attack pose.

"…That is true," he finally admitted. "I suppose I can only go so far."

The blast of green light was still fired, but it only grazed the false Razekar's left shoulder. The man with golden-orange hair cried out.

It wasn't the bloody mess Stir expected it to be. It wasn't even an overflow of rainbow colors that bled from the Torpedo's burned arm.

It was oil. Black, black oil. And beneath all that dark liquid wasn't muscle, but bolts and wires.

Stir and Falcon stared.

"He's a robot," Falcon breathed.

"Only partly," stated the Bandit King, who had suddenly appeared behind him.

Falcon and Stir swirled around to face the orange-cloaked thief.

"His left side is mostly mechanical, while his right side is mostly organic," Jing continued, unconsciously rubbing one of the feathers of Kir's wings. The black albatross was currently attached to his back in flight mode, which Falcon assumed was how he got behind him so fast. He wondered when he had the time to switch forms.

"How did-" he began.

"How did I know?" the obsidian-haired boy answered for him, smirking. "It was easy enough to tell by the sound of his steps that each side was made of a different substance. The fact he would take more damage from one side than he would the other was also a dead giveaway."

He bent his right hand downward and summoned his arm blade, looking straight at the injured cyborg.

"Care to back down? Or should I take care of you now?"

The black-dressed Razekar snarled and leapt onto the nearest building, hopping from higher to higher rooftops until he vanished into the smog-choked heights.

Stir turned to see Jing's expression, but it was concealed by that demonic mask.

"Jing, why - my god, your arm!"

The masked boy's right jacket sleeve was drenched with scarlet that caused the cloth to stick to his skin. Just under the orange fabric was a faint green glow in the pattern of his earlier burns.

"Oh man, that looks bad," Falcon stated. "Is that from your fight with Raze?"

"Nothing I can't handle," replied the Bandit King.

The silver-haired princess's eyes narrowed.

…"_But you see, when you do a fancy energy attack, a whole bunch of your energy is being drawn to your arm and getting turned into the fuel for the attack and stuff. If the seal wasn't there to keep it in, it'd just shoot everywhere out of your arm and go everywhere whenever you tried to do an attack. You might not even have an arm anymore if it gets bad enough." _

"…Jing, the seal on your arm's damaged, isn't it?" Stir spoke, as she tried to touch his arm but he moved away. "The Kir Royale has been so strong because nothing's holding back the power, but that means that you're losing a lot more energy. I don't know if the seal was damaged by what happened back in the garden area or if the attack you tried to launch backfired because the seal was already weakened, but we've got to fix it before your arm gets any worse."

"I don't suppose you have some spare bandages?" asked the dark-haired thief.

"I do, but it's going to take a lot more than bandages to mend it and you know it," answered Stir, as she fished out some white wrappings out of one of the pouches on her belt. "We'll need to set the seal again."

By the time she turned back around, the Bandit King was already flying off.

"Jing, dammit, come back here!"

"Princess, hold on!" Falcon called after her, also joining the chase.

"Hey, don't forget about us!" yelled Lilith, as she and the others trailed behind.

Stir dashed after the great winged robber, his massive wingspan overshadowing her. His bright green glow silhouetted him against the smoggy sky, but she could still see the blood on his right sleeve.

_I told him not to be so reckless with his arm. Does he think he's invincible?_

"Jing! As the princess and future heir of Zaza, I demand that you come here this instant!" the silver-eyed girl barked, wondering why she thought that would actually work.

The obsidian-haired thief turned his masked face to the platinum-haired princess as he continued to glide.

"The Bandit King doesn't need anyone!" the Bandit King replied in an almost playful tone.

If Jing hadn't already had a wounded arm, Stir would have thrown her sword at him. At the very least she would've tossed some of her moon discs at him, but they were broken now thanks to Cassis.

Without another word, or even a glance back, the winged bandit glided into a nearby alley.

"Jing!" Stir called again, dashing into the alley the cat-faced robber had flown into.

She nearly tripped over a boy half her size, a boy who looked a little too familiar.

_Not again…_

This version of Jing was ten years old, carrying a bag of most-likely-stolen goods in his free right hand and eyeing her with a wary curiosity. Hovering over his shoulder was Kir, barely more than a fledging and without the usual red bandana over his neck. As soon as the black bird noticed Stir looking at him he hid behind Jing's shoulder, peeking at her with wide eyes.

"Uh, why is Jing a little kid all of a sudden?" Falcon asked, giving Stir a confused stare.

"If I knew that, then I'd know why Cassis turned into a kid earlier too," Stir grumbled.

"Wow, people actually live in this city," the young Jing mused, smiling a little. "Or are you just ghosts?"

Stir smirked.

"We're not dead yet. Just strangers passing through."

"I thought so," replied the young black-haired boy, pulling out a violet cat mask with swirly eyes and putting it on his face. "No one seems to consider this place their home."

"Hey you!" Lilith shouted, causing the masked boy to startle. "You better not be a thief too! There ain't enough room here for all of us!"

"Oh?" asked the young Jing, sounding unconcerned. "The world's a bigger place than you would think."

"Is that a challenge, boy?!" snapped Lilith, Adam also looking angry.

"Uh, don't they remember that he was someone else just a minute ago?" Falcon whispered to Stir.

"Well, they're illusions just like everything else in this world," the silver-eyed princess began, crossing her arms. "I guess they wouldn't know a difference in this place because they're just part of the environment. They don't really think."

"Oh…" the fair-haired fighter replied, watching the ever-calm Bandit King child continuing to annoy the young thieving trio. "They sure seem like real people though."

"Yeah, they do…" Stir agreed. "The wannabe Bandit Queen girl's getting on my nerves already…"

"There you are!" barked a familiar female voice, causing Jing to jump and the oversized mask to fall off his face. He and Kir jerked around to see a young Cassis running toward them.

"Uh…Hey Cassu," the gray-eyed child greeted nervously, carefully picking up the fallen mask while keeping his eye on the angry blonde. "What are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same thing," the scarless girl growled, putting one of her hands on her hips. "I told you to stop coming here! It's dangerous!"

"So are forest fairies," responded the young Jing.

"Forest fairies?" the robber trio asked. "What are those?"

"T-That's different," replied the young Cassis, growing a bit pale before noticing Stir nearby. "You again?! Why do you keep following me?! You aren't some forest fairy in disguise, are you?"

"…What?" Stir answered, raising an eyebrow.

"C'mon Cassu, does she _look _like a forest fairy?" Besides, why would a forest fairy be in a stinky city like this anyway?" reasoned the boy in the blazing coat, a dully annoyed expression on his face as he folded his arms. "You think everything's a forest fairy these days."

"Aaah, it's a stump! It could be a forest fairy!" Kir parroted in a high-pitched voice, flying above Jing's shoulder once more. "Aaah, it's a rope! It could be a forest fairy! Aaah, it's the mailman! He could be a forest fairy!"

"Well his skin _is _all brown and wrinkly," Cassis defended.

"But Cassu isn't Cassu if she's scared of everything," the gray-eyed boy commented, swinging his bag of loot around carelessly.

"I'm not scared! I'm just being more careful so I don't get kidnapped by the forest fairies again!" the young blonde snapped back.

"And everyone here thinks the other person's out to get them too, so they lock themselves up so they don't get hurt," Jing countered, looking up at some of the weakly lit windows. "But that just hurts them more, doesn't it? If you don't trust anything of flesh and blood, then there's no one to save you from yourself, is there?"

"Well…I guess not," replied young Cassis quietly.

"But if you want to protect yourself from others more than from yourself, then I suppose a prison would be paradise, huh?"

"But I don't want to hide from everyone else! I want to see the world and explore and stuff," Cassis spoke, almost whined, before reverting to her more fiery self. "And I don't want you to go to jail either! So go return the stuff you stole!"

"I will once I sell it and steal it back," he assured with an innocent smile.

"_Jing!"_

"What? It's still go back to its original owner in the end. I'm just letting it take a little vacation from home, that's all. It must be boring to sit on a shelf all day."

Heavy mechanical steps shook the alley.

"The owner of those stolen goods wouldn't happen to be the Big Shot, would they?" asked a sleazy metallic voice.

The trio spun around to see a huge robot rat slinking toward them, with three gorilla robots calmly riding on its back. Its dark blue paint made it appear black in the shadows of the alley. Waiting just outside the alley was a huge gray vehicle with the red words JAIL stamped on its side.

"Oh crap," squeaked Adam and Lilith. Falcon took a defensive pose.

"What? What is it? What is it?" asked the egg, bouncing up and down. "It's got a weird voice, whatever it is."

"Who's property have you stolen?" repeated the rat, the gorillas resting on his massive back growing more restless.

"I dunno," responded Jing almost casually. "I didn't pay attention to the owner's name."

The rat's eyes glowed orange, and then faded back to yellow. It let out a slicing hiss.

"You have stolen the property of the Big Shot," it droned, its speech growing more robotic. "The culprits will be captured and then dealt with according to his wishes."

The artificial apes descended from the rat, their pitiless eyes locked onto their targets.

Jing plucked Kir out of the air, causing the baby avian to shapeshift into gun mode. Cassis whipped out her bat and held it out in front of her. Stir drew her sword.

IIIIII

As far as Dalios was concerned, the Razekar he knew wasn't being any friendlier than the dream one.

But did he know the real Razekar, really? After all, Dalios only found out about his friend's cyborg nature when he came crashing through the window, an angry oily mess. _That_ threw him for a loop. Daisy sighed and helped him to a nearby repair room, like such occurrences were as normal as a knee scrap. The white-haired boy had to admire her unflappability, and he couldn't help but wonder how Razekar ended up like that in the first place.

Sadly, it didn't help him with his current situation. The emerald-eyed youth had managed to grasp more "strings" of this world, and the least thing he could tell is that they held the world together and they all met at a center point. At that vital spot was the real Razekar. Dalios could use the strings to trace a path to the lightning master and find out where he was trapped.

If…he…would…just…cooperate!

But every time Dalios would start getting somewhere, Razekar would send a jolt down the line to zap him. The youngster's concentration would be broken, and he would be back at square one. It just didn't make any sense. Didn't Razekar want to be rescued?

After another rebuked attempt, Rolly whining at his feet, Dalios decided to go see if the avatar Razekar was fully repaired and recovered. What he stumbled upon was a kissing scene. Well, more than a kissing scene, really.

With a panicked yelp the emerald-eyed boy shut the door. Rolly looked up at his startled master inquisitively, cocking its foxy head.

"Get an eyeful, did you?" Daisy's voice rumbled through the door. "There's a reason why cronies like you should keep your noses out of our rooms."

"Y-Yes, ma'am!"

"Oh well, we need to get going anyway," the female voice added.

"Where are we going?" asked Razekar.

"We're going off to rub out that Bandit King, of course."

"We? But he's my hit!"

"Who you obviously can't handle by yourself. Otherwise you wouldn't have been such a mess when you came back."

Dalios regained his senses.

_So he's been fighting Jing? Jing did that to him? Why? I mean, I know this isn't the real Raze, but what would he gain from beating up the fake one? _

"Don't worry, you'll still get to deliver the final blow," Daisy's voice continued on the other side of the door, her clopping footsteps growing nearer.

"But-"

"And we'll be bringing along that peeping tom cowering outside the door too," she added. "He'll be a good distraction if we need one."

The russet-eyed woman pushed the door open, causing Dalios and Rolly to scurry out of the way.

"You're helping us with a little job tonight," she spoke, not looking at the short youngster. "Get ready."

The black-haired female passed by without another word.

Quietly Dalios walked through the open door and into the room, Rolly cheerfully following. Razekar sat on a bench inside, flexing his hand.

"All ready to go here. Make sure you've got all your stuff, kid," the assassin with golden-orange hair spoke, not laying either a blue or orange eye on the white-haired youth. "Make sure to knock next time, or she might not be so forgiving about any interruptions. You don't want to know what happened to the last fella."

Dalios didn't move.

"…You do know she's using you, right?"

The hand stopped moving, as the cyborg with mismatched eyes looked up at him with a calm smile.

"Of course I do. Do you take me for a sap?"

"Then why are you serving her?"

The lanky one leaned back with an irritated sigh.

"Ever notice how everyone hides here, kid?"

"Kinda hard not to notice it."

"I used to be one of them, a coward afraid to be hurt," Razekar began, gazing up at the greasy ceiling. "Before I became a Torpedo, I was a detective. Or so I claimed. Really I was just a fella who spent most of his time hiding in the speakeasies, trying to look cool for the ladies. But even if I did get myself a good chick, she didn't mean anything to me. I'd never open my heart to her, and she didn't open my heart to me. I would lie to myself and tell myself it was real, or it would become real, but of course that never happened. It's simply how fellas treat each other around here. Most fellas."

"Miss Wheel doesn't exactly strike me as a real friendly person either," Dalios pointed out, as Rolly chewed on one of his pant legs.

"No need to be so formal around someone like me, kid," the man with golden-orange hair responded, as he rolled his eyes over to Dalios and smirked. "Anyway, so there I was, gathering girls like butterflies in one of the local bars, as if that would solve my problems. Then all of a sudden BAM! Place gets hit with a stray Torpedo attack and I'm one of those fellas who takes the brunt of it. Happened so fast I couldn't even tell what kind of attack it was."

Dalios said nothing, as he pretended to pay more attention to Rolly.

"First thing the girls do is run screaming. Those that still can anyway," the assassin continued, looking almost amused at the recollection. "Guess I can't blame them. I was a real bloody mess. Couldn't even get up to see how bad it was. But it hurt and there was a lot of blood that was probably mine, so I knew it was bad. I'd been in the security of a building and I still got hit. Go figure. Guess some things you can't avoid no matter how much you run."

"…Guess so."

"It was pretty funny, really. While everyone else was running out, she walked right in like nothing happened," he went on. "She looked around at the carnage for a bit, not in a scared or sad way, but like she was window shopping or something. Then she walked over and gazed down at me, the bloody mess. Then she started talking, saying that I could live something other than a lie, unlike everyone else. I passed out sometime after that. Dunno if I agreed to a second chance or not, but maybe I did, because here I am telling you about it. Then again, I've seen her choose others without any permission. But I guess it doesn't really matter. Either way I was taken to the church and reborn."

"Reborn? You mean turned into a cyborg, right?" asked Dalios, bending down and picking up Rolly to keep him from gnawing on his pants. The orange mutt began licking his sleeves instead.

"Isn't it the same thing, really?"

"Hmm…so this rebirthing, is it done a lot?"

"Used to be done all the time. Guess you're a bit young to remember it," Razekar explained, standing up and stretching. "No one needed to worry about death since all you had to do was have somebody take your body to the church. All the defective parts get replaced with new and improved ones, and you'd be up and running in no time better than ever. Some people even hurried the natural process so their incarnation to a superior form would come sooner. But a rebirth's a rebirth, no matter how you do it. Your soul changes to fit the new body and adapt to the new parts. Get reborn too many times, and you won't be yourself anymore. Now this is only my…second rebirth, I think…so I'm still myself, just with some more metal and experience thrown in."

"So when people stopped being themselves after their…rebirths, people stopped doing it?"

"Well, kinda."

"Kinda?"

"Well, after a while the church got so good at reincarnating people that people rarely need rebirths as much, for one," replied Razekar, as he paced slowly back and forth. "But in order to be reborn you need someone to drag your dead body over to the church, right? You're certainly not going to walk there yourself. Back then fellas would rebirth strangers, just so they could have another friend to play with. A little reward fee for bringing bodies in helped too. But nowadays people don't think they need anyone else, that other people will only hurt them and make them vulnerable. So the less people they have to deal with, the better. That requires going outside to find dead bodies to revive too, and no one wants to do that. Too much trouble. Besides it might be a Torpedo playing dead. A lot of those crazier Torpedoes are fellas who have been reborn too many times. They don't think like humans anymore."

Dalios was silent, as Rolly squirmed in his grasp.

"But Daisy's different than that. She still helps fellas get reborn, even strays like me. She's one of the church's most devout members. She even helps with the reincarnation process sometimes."

"Isn't she just getting more Torpedoes for the Big Shot?" questioned Dalios.

"Oh don't get me wrong, I know my place. The only reason she picked me was because I was there. She didn't do it for nothing, either. She gets paid plenty by the Big Shot for finding good people, as well as the usual reward from the church. But she still saved me, even if it was only business," Razekar stated, sitting back down and coolly smirking. "I may not be the best or even her favorite, but it's still something. And something means a lot out here when most fellas are afraid to walk outside their doorstep. At least I can be useful. It's better to be useful than left forgotten."

"Are you and the kid ready?" they heard Daisy call from afar. Rolly yipped.

"Got your stuff?" asked Razekar, standing up.

"Yeah. You?"

"Yeah. Let's go."

IIIIII

The metal apes came charging. The rat stayed behind, lying down to watch its minions fight.

The first robot primate leapt at the young Jing. The ten-year-old rolled under the ape's jump, avoiding the pavement-cracking landing. The child pointed the transformed Kir at the puzzled machine as it lumbered back around.

"Give me a Kir Royale!"

The green energy attack was much smaller than what Stir was used to seeing, more of a basketball-sized sphere of light than an outright blast. The glowing assault was still effective nonetheless, as the robotic gorilla was slammed into the dead end of the alley. Greasy red barrels fell on top of the metallic ape, which buzzed loudly and didn't move.

The remaining two artificial primates were heading for Stir and the young Cassis. The scarless blonde began rushing toward her metallic foes, but the dark-clad warrior was far faster than the child. Within a few agile moments she dashed ahead of Cassis, avoided the robotic creatures' mighty blows, and cut off their thoughtless heads. Their thick metal skulls hit the pavement with a heavy clang.

"Wow," spoke the young Cassis, her eyes wide. "That was amazing. Are you sure you're not a forest fairy?"

Stir smirked as she whipped her sword to throw off the oil on her blade.

"I'm sure. I'm just as human as you and Jing."

Cassis stared a moment more.

"Well, let me have fight some next time! You can't have all the fun!" she shouted, waving her bat around.

"Yeah, I didn't get to fight either!" whined Falcon, the young thieves behind him also looking disappointed.

The silver-eyed princess smiled.

There was a loud creaking and bleeping behind them, as the first metal ape tried to get up. Sparks shot out of its damaged abdomen. The greasy, black-stained barrels rolled to the side.

Jing dashed in front of the girls and aimed Kir at the stubborn robot. A sphere of green power began to form in Kir's mouth.

At first Cassis simply watched, but then her blue eyes grew wide.

"Jing, don't! Those barrels-"

"What?" asked Jing.

The green blast fired.

"GET DOWN!" Cassis yelled, as she pushed Jing out of the way.

The explosion was enough to throw Stir and the others halfway through the alley. As they sat up, she saw the young Jing lying on the ground just short of the flames. Soon he too got up, looking dazed.

"…What happened?" Falcon murmured, unsteadily getting to his feet.

"Ow…why did it…" he muttered to himself, rubbing his head. "…oil barrels?…that must be what Cassis…"

His eyes grew large, and he started whipping his head around.

"Cassis?! Cassis, where are you?" he yelled, suddenly standing up. "Cassu! Cassu!"

"Oh man…" hissed Adam, as Lilith helped him up. "This is bad. This is bad…"

"Cassis! Cassis!" Falcon called out. "Call you hear me?! Cassis!"

The young Jing turned to Stir, dust-hued eyes burning with terror.

"_Kanaka isa Cassu?! Kanaka isa ala?! Ulebah Jing!"_

Suddenly Jing was snatched away by the long tail of the metal rat, who had come closer since the explosion.

"Aww, the poor little kitten lost his playmate?" teased the giant robot rodent, sneering.

The young Bandit King snarled and pointed Kir at the mechanical menace.

"Give a Kir Ro-"

"I don't think so," hissed the rat, slamming the black-haired child into a wall and knocking him and Kir unconscious.

"Jing!" called out Stir and Falcon, rushing forward.

The metal rodent spat a black ball into the alley, which exploded into gray smoke that filled the alleyway. By the time they got out of the smoke-choked alley, their eyes stinging, the oversized mechanical beast was throwing the unconscious child and bird into the back of the metal van. The back doors slammed shut, and the van began to drive off.

"Stop!" yelled Stir, she and Falcon running after the van only to be stopped by the metal rat.

"And where do you think you're going?" it hissed.

Stir and Falcon poised to strike, watching the metal van driving off.

But the van never got very far.

A huge beam of light erupted though the roof of the vehicle, ripping open the top of the van. The capturing automobile wildly swerved and crashed into a lightless lamppost. For a moment, all was silent except for the incessant blaring of the mortally wounded vehicle.

Then, from the screaming carcass of the van, emerged Jing. Not the child that was seen flung into the van, but the real Jing, the one she knew. Or was this Jing after all? His face was still guarded by the grinning cat mask, as mocking as ever. He was still glowing bright green even after the last Kir Royale attack, the brightest light come from the eye pinpoints of the violet false face. Kir had moved from his arm to his back, giving the boy obsidian wings and the backbone tail once more. His arm was still a bloody mess.

"Eh? What's all the racket?!" hissed the metallic rat, turning to the now freed Bandit King. "So you escaped, huh? Those dips can never do anything right. I guess I've have you take care of you myself. What a bother."

The first moment the boy with the false face was gazing at the rat with his shining pinpoint eyes. The next moment he was standing right in front of the metal vermin, his right arm raised, his black wings outspread.

"What?! When did you-"

In one quick motion he summoned his arm-blade like a cat's claw.

Before the rodent had realized it, its left ear was cut off. As it started to cry out, the masked thief slashed the left forepaw, then most of its long tail, and then the rear right leg. As the metallic vermin fell to the ground, the obsidian-winged one slit both of the rat's sides.

The Bandit King paused before his prey. The robot rat shook and whimpered.

The metal rat's head was cut off, but not by the obsidian-haired thief's work.

The masked robber calmly turned to Stir, whose blade was saturated with the oil of the rat.

"…And what was that for?" he asked.

"Jing, we don't have time for this!" the dark-clad warrior snapped, flinging the oil off her blade and glaring at the boy in the blazing coat. "We need to find the real Razekar and get out of this world."

The boy's green glow faded as Kir detached from his back and reverted to his usual form.

"She's right Jing," added the black albatross, hovering over the obsidian-haired thief's shoulder. "There's no point in doing all this weird stuff. C'mon, let's just get outta here."

The Bandit King chuckled.

"What's wrong with having a little fun along the way?"

Stir glared at the cat-faced boy.

"A little fun? What's so fun about lacerating something?" the silver-haired girl asked, pointing at the remains of the rat with her sword. "Not only was that pointless, it was just cruel."

"But it was just a robot, and not a very nice one at that," replied the robber in the blazing coat. "If I'm going to have fun with something, it might as well be something that nobody likes. Why do you care?"

Stir rested her sword on one shoulder as she walked away from Falcon and toward the masked boy.

"Look, I'm fed up with this attitude of yours," she growled. "So you've realized that your mother is dead. Well, I lost my father and my brother, and I will always miss them even if I never knew them that well. But I've moved on. They're not coming back. Stop being such a baby about it, going around destroying or torturing things in your little temper tantrums."

"Huh? You've both lost family?" questioned Falcon. "Man, I wish my mind hadn't gone kaput in Jing's world…"

The thief said nothing.

"Uh, S-Stir…" Kir began, a nervous smile on his face. "You really shouldn't talk about his mom…"

"And why not? She seems to be the root of the problem," the silver-haired warrior snapped back, before setting her gaze back onto the Bandit King. "I always thought you were mature for your age, but you haven't grown up a bit since that day, have you? It's pathetic, really, how even now you're playacting as a person who is nothing more than-"

The Bandit King swiped at Stir with his blade, leaving a fresh cut under her right cheek.

"J-J-J-Jing!" Kir squeaked.

"Bastard!" Falcon yelled, charging toward the obsidian-haired thief with his fist raised.

The Bandit King remained unmoved at the fair-haired fighter's furious roar. Calmly he watched the cobalt-clad Chesirian charge his way, the masked one making neither movement nor sound.

Without warning half-transparent tentacles of living color erupted around the boy in the blazing coat, swaying and curving in the air like demented serpents. Kir let out a squawk and hastily rose away. Stir backed up and drew her sword.

"What the hell?" she hissed. "Falcon, get back!"

Two of the tendrils lashed out at the fair-haired fighter.

"Whoa!" he exclaimed, jumping out of the way of the first tentacle. The second struck him across the chest, knocking him onto his back.

"Ungh…"

"Falcon!" Stir called out, before turning back to the masked boy. "Jing, stop this right now!"

"Or what?" challenged the Bandit King, pointing his arm-blade toward the silver-haired princess.

"What? Is that supposed to scare me?" challenged the dark-clad warrior, smirking as she rubbed some of the blood off her cheek with her hand. "You really are nothing but a child."

She came a step closer.

"Do you remember, back in Zaza? You told my mother to stop hiding behind masks. Isn't it time for you to do the same?"

She made a quick stroke with her own blade, and the grinning violet facade fell off the boy's face in two pieces, cut perfectly down the middle. They clattered onto the pavement unceremoniously.

It took the gray-eyed boy a moment to realize that his mask was gone. Emitting a surprised gasp, he quickly bent down to recover the two halves of the false face. Stir stabbed one half with her sword and stepped on the other half with her foot. It cracked under the pressure of her heel.

His deed thwarted, The Bandit King got back up from his kneeling position. He leered at the silver-haired princess, his gray eyes hardening into steel.

Stir glared back in return.

"It's not like you to be so angry, so full of hate, Jing," she stated, looking directly into those cold steel eyes. "You seem so familiar and yet so different. Is that really you, Jing?"

The obsidian-haired boy closed his eyes and smirked.

"Who's to say? Everyone has their own point of view, and ours seem to be very different," he replied. "Let's go, Kir."

Without opening his eyes he snatched the dark albatross out of the air with his right hand.

"Hey, Jing, whaddaya-"

The captured avian instantly transformed into his larger, blacker gun mode, feathers bearing a purple-and-green gloss. The boy in the blazing coat opened his eyes, now glowing bright green with pupils slitted like a cat's. With a coy smile The Bandit King leapt onto the roof of one of the higher buildings, and soon swiftly ascended to higher perches. Stir could hear Kir's hoarse protests as the thieving duo rose to the smog-stuffed heavens and out of sight. Falcon sat up, touched his chest and winced.

She took the skewered mask half off her blade to study it closer. She had stabbed it right through the swirled eye. She glared at violet-and-green facade. It still smiled, of course.

…_No, that wasn't Jing._

IIIIIII

_I know things are still confusing, but explanations will be coming up shortly. _

_**NEXT CHAPTER: **Everyone's hurrying to find Razekar, but does Razekar want to be found? Maybe Dalios can figure out the reason, or Falcon. Or maybe Jing needs to be found more than Razekar does. Sometimes taking all of the burden on yourself is a bad idea..._

_Cya!_


	24. Mad Plague

_Hello again, after...years XD. (Insert 23847238947293479238 excuses here). _

_Anyway, as you might guess this chapter was a fair pain in the ass to write. I actually had to mostly throw out the first rough for it and write it over again. But now here it is, finally, nice and long. The longest chapter yet, actually. But it all needed to be wrapped up this chapter. Hope you guys enjoy!_

**61****st**** Shot: Mad Plague**

"Or _was_ that the real boy? Would you know?"

Stir whirled around to see the lioness armor waiting next to Falcon. The dazed fair-haired fighter looked to the side, let out a yelp, and skittered away from it.

"F-Fire!" he shouted, shuddering.

"Leave him alone!" Stir commanded, her hand squeezing hard on her sword's handle. "You've already hurt Jing and Razekar. Aren't you satisfied yet?"

"Of course not," the scarlet armor replied, using a frozen parody of the princess's voice. "Are you ever satisfied?"

"Princess, you know this…this…what is it?" Falcon asked, growing increasingly bewildered.

Stir leered at the heartless lion.

"I'd heard you were cursed, you stupid piece of junk," she growled. "Not that I believed it. I needed a good armor that was light and strong, and you fit me just right, so I took you. Then you were broken, so I figured that I wouldn't need to worry about any curse of yours anyway."

Falcon stopped shaking, his cloudy eyes narrowing. "It's…not fire? Wait…"

"But it looks like I was wrong, and others have suffered because of your curse and my carelessness," the silver-haired princess continued, pointing her blade at the metal feline shell. "So I'm going to put an end to it now!"

The hollow armor lifted its twin sword slightly, took one step forward, and suddenly became a blood-colored blur. Before Stir had even made a move, the ruby lioness had its sword pointed at her throat.

"Princess!" Falcon called out.

"How will you save anyone from me when you're so weak?" it hissed in the frost-bitten version of her voice. "You can't even save yourself."

The metal shell lowered its sword and took a few steps back. Its peaceful actions only put Stir more on edge.

"Much less _him_."

She snarled, leering at the armor. "I'm not weak. Jing helped save Zaza. The least I can do is lend a hand to him now that he's the one who needs help."

"But which do you want to help?" questioned the red lioness. "The child, or the Bandit King? Or, perhaps more importantly, which one are you _actually_ helping?"

"I'm going to save the boy, not the bandit," Stir stated.

"Oh are you?" asked the armor. "But does that boy exist anymore? That is the question."

The metal lioness dissolved into golden dust, chuckling. Stir glared at where the feline armor had once stood.

"What was that thing?" questioned Falcon. "It looked like a blue fireball and an armor suit at the same time."

"Fireball? I just saw the armor…" Stir stated. "A blue fireball…the spirit possessing it? But why would you see it and not me?"

"I dunno…" Falcon admitted. "But I just saw the fire at first. I didn't see the armor in it until you mentioned it."

"Hmm…" mused Stir, sheathing her sword.

_He didn't see the armor until I mentioned it? Did he just not see it before, or…_

"Man, this stuff is nasty!" the fair-haired fighter griped, trying to wipe off the rainbow colors off his clothes. "And cold! I think I'd be warmer in a glacier…"

Stir looked over Falcon. He didn't appear injured, but the colors were slowly spreading from where he had been hit on the chest by one of the multi-colored tendrils. She noticed him shivering.

"I don't like the looks of this," she said, taking out some bandages and wrapping them around the affected area. "This probably won't help much, but it's better than nothing."

"Um, thanks," Falcon replied, a slight blush on his cheeks. "But how was Jing able to summon that stuff anyway? I'm just glad the kids-"

He startled and whipped his head around.

"…The kids! Where did Adam and Lilith go?"

Stir looked about, but she didn't see any sign of the young wanna-be robbers either.

Then they heard the screams. Adam and Lilith had been seized by some mecha gorilla goons. The robot apes were swiftly scampering off, the kids and their egg imprisoned in their cage bellies.

"Oh no! We've gotta go after them!" Falcon shouted, beginning to run in pursuit of the metal kidnappers.

"We don't have time for this!" Stir yelled back, grabbing his arm as he passed. "We need to go after the real people here, not the fake ones!"

"But they're-" Falcon began to protest.

"They're not real, Falcon," Stir said firmly.

"Of course they're-" Falcon started to reply, before a sudden shudder shot through his body. He gripped at his chest, where the colors were already bleeding through the bandages. "O-Of course th-th-they're…"

Stir frowned. "Are you alright?"

"Y-Yeah…" Falcon answered, a reassuring smile on his somewhat pale face. He continued to shiver.

Stir wasn't fooled. "Shirt. Off."

Falcon gave her a wide-eyed stare. "…What?"

"I need to look at where you got hit, and both these bandages and your shirt is infected with that rainbow stuff," Stir explained, as she undid the bandages and carefully discarded them. "So I need you to take your shirt off so I can see what's going on."

"I-I-" Falcon stammered, looking at everything but Stir. "Well…"

"Oh, for God's sake," Stir grumbled, pulling the shirt off for him. She quickly discarded it, knowing it was too contaminated with the colors to be worth salvaging. Large ugly bruises were already blooming on his chest. Some of the multi-colored ooze had already spread from the struck area, and had traveled as far as his collarbone and as low as his abdomen.

Stir's expression stayed serious as she took large wads of bandages and cautiously dabbed off some of the colors. Falcon stood carefully still as she treated the contaminated area, though there was still the occasional shiver.

"…Thank you, princess," Falcon answered quietly, still looking away. "You didn't have to…"

"I don't need you running around injured," Stir replied coolly. "Everything is crazy enough as it is."

Falcon nodded absently. "I'm sorry that I couldn't protect you, princess."

"It's alright. I can take care of myself," Stir answered. "I always have."

"But you shouldn't have to!" exclaimed Falcon, now looking directly at Stir with blue eyes full of indignant grief. That abrupt outburst quickly dissolved into acute embarrassment, and he glanced away again. "I-I mean, I'm not trying to insult you. I'm really glad that you're really strong and stuff. That's what makes you so cool, after all…amazing, really…Ah! Uh, so-"

"We'll need to treat this better later," Stir said, as she finished wrapping him in fresh bandages. "Take these off as soon as the colors start bleeding through."

"Right," Falcon answered with a nod, studying the wrappings.

"Now we need to get going," Stir said, as she began walking ahead. "Should have got going long before this, really. Now we need to find Jing and -"

Falcon abruptly grabbed her wrist, his grip gentle but firm.

Stir snapped her head back, silver eyes flaring with both anger and surprise. "_What_, Falcon? We don't have time-"

"Stir," Falcon spoke, his sky-blue eyes gazing at her with a nervous determination. His grip tightened slightly but carefully. "I love you, Stir."

Stir's icy gaze abruptly melted into a blank stare. "…What?"

"I-I love you," Falcon repeated, his tone growing more anxious. "I h-have ever since I found out you were the Warrior of the Rising Sun in the last Zaza tournament. I didn't know it at first, of course: I mean, until recently I hardly even knew you. But then I _did _get to know you, and then…and then I knew. But I didn't know how to say it to you, or even if I should say it…"

"Falcon," Stir began uneasily, unsure how to respond to this sudden confession. "…Why are you bringing up something like this right _now_?"

Stir noticed him cringe a little at her somewhat curt reply, and wished she had worded her answer a bit more delicately. She never had been good at this kind of thing.

"B-But I had to say it!" Falcon went on, becoming ever more nervous. "I know that this isn't the best time. I hadn't really planned to say it right then, it just…kinda happened. But now I've said it, and…well…"

Stir stayed silent. God, how was she going to say this? He was a good, kind person who had been through so much already. She didn't want to hurt him further, or lead him on with a lie. She could see her wordlessness was doing little to calm Falcon's frayed nerves, as he fretfully shifted from foot to foot.

The ensuing explosions moments later didn't help much either. Falcon yelped and jumped about a foot into the air from the sudden deafening blasts.

Both Stir and Falcon snapped their heads upward as fiery detonations made the upper buildings tremble. In the smoggy canopy a certain bandit in an orange coat bounded across the rooftops, chased by a few fire-breathing robot greyhounds with long whip-like tails. The bandit stopped for a minute to exchange green blasts of energy with their flame bursts. Anything that didn't blow up a metal hound blew up an abandoned shop below.

"Jing!" Stir exclaimed, as the glowing figure began to flee again. She dashed after him and the remaining false canines still tailing him.

"Stir wait!" Falcon called, pursuing the silver-eyed princess. But then a laser of green light struck the ground between them, blowing Falcon back and away from her. He barely had time to recover when he had to dodge a series of fireballs and falling debris from above. By the time he had evaded everything Stir was already gone from sight.

"Stir!" he yelled, but then something stranger happened. Electricity began to erupt from the buildings, lighting them up like fake suns. Lightning bolts snapped out from them like whips, striking anything within range.

These, Falcon had no time to dodge.

IIIIII

_I think I'm finally starting to figure out how this place works_, thought Dalios, as he used his newfound power to probe the depths of the colors through the strings. He had learned how to use it quickly and discreetly as he traveled down the stairs with Daisy and the dream Razekar.

The multi-colored fluid that shaped everything was pure fantasy. Or, to be more specific, fantasy physically distilled and manifested by a greater power. That power also set up the strings to more easily manipulate the fantasy and hold every illusion together better, as well as keep everyone entangled. What that power was, Dalios still wasn't sure.

Every single area they had been in was all fantasy in different forms. The fantasy melded itself to whatever the nearest person wanted, or expected. Since _all_ of them were encased in this mass of fantasy, they were all seeing the world slightly differently, and _that_ caused chaos whenever they tried to agree about anything in the environment.

And because everything, including everyone's minds, was so malleable and easily influenced here, this sometimes resulted in someone forgetting who they really were and actually _becoming _someone else for a time. Like Falcon thinking he was the local fabric tailor in Jing's world, or Dalios himself thinking he was a crony for a while in this world. Going to sleep or being knocked out seemed to greatly increase the chances of this happening.

Of course whoever was "caught" in each world manifestation was the closest to the heart of the fantasy, and therefore had the most influence. Right now that was Razekar, who was _still_ being difficult. Why did he keep resisting him whenever he tried to reach him?

Dalios felt Razekar rebel again, only this time Dalios also felt the walls of the building start to tremble too.

"What's going on?" demanded Daisy, as all of them froze mid-step. "Is it that Bandit Torpedo again?"

The dream Razekar's left eye glowed briefly. "Not according to my scanning data it's not. Don't see _any_ logical cause for all this, at least not in my range."

_Of course not, because the cause is far beyond both your reach _and_ reason_, thought Dalios dryly.

White electricity began to erupt from the walls, slithering all over like delirious vipers. They struck out from the cramped walls, incinerating anything they touched. The building itself rippled strangely, almost like melting paint.

"Run!" shouted Razekar, pulling Daisy along behind him as the lightning bolts became more frenzied. Dalios picked up a whining Rolly before sprinting down after them. The white-haired boy glanced out one of the windows to see that the whole city was lit up with overflowing electricity.

_This is got to be the real Raze_, thought Dalios, narrowly dodging several jolts of power. _I must have set him off somehow…but why would Raze be able to interfere when no one else trapped has been able to?_

A piece of ceiling broke off under the stress of the distortion and the electricity. The dream Razekar shattered it with his own lightning before it could crush anyone, his left eye shining brilliant orange.

Dalios's eyes widened behind his dark sunglasses. _Of course! Raze's part machine! The organic part of him got put to sleep easily enough, but it didn't have any effect on the robot part of him because the fantasy can't affect inorganic things like metal! Jing said as much earlier. So the robot part of Raze only processes cold data, not emotions or dreams._

The dream Razekar formed a shield of electricity around the three of them, which canceled out the nearby wild thunderbolts. They were almost to the bottom floor.

_But the robot part of him doesn't have any human logic either. It's just metal and wires detecting danger, some kind of self-defense program, That's why he kept attacking me earlier when I was trying to track him down and free him. The slightest disturbance while Raze's unconscious sets it off._

The dream Razekar burst down the door with a kick of his mechanical leg, and the three of them rushed outside. Dalios noted how the others seemed only partially aware that there was rampant electricity and melting distortion everywhere outside too. They dodged some areas while running straight through others. Their own bodies were rippling and distorting slightly, like bright liquids whirling restlessly in its fragile container.

"I don't understand," said the dream Razekar, turning to Daisy and looking confused. His outfit randomly turned white, then red, and then back to the correct black in a matter of seconds. "Why are we out here Miss Daisy? Don't we have work to do?"

Dalios found this an odd question for him to be asking. Even if they seemed increasingly unaware of the world-twisting mayhem around them, shouldn't this Razekar remember what just happened a few moments ago?

Daisy, however, seemed to find this a perfectly logical remark, as the world calmed down and returned to its previous stable state. "I am here to take you away from all of this."

"…What are you taking about, Miss Daisy?" asked Razekar cautiously.

"Yeah, what do you mean?" asked Dalios, putting Rolly down. The corgi sniffed around suspiciously.

"Exactly what it sounds like," Daisy replied, completely ignoring Dalios's question. She didn't even look at the white-haired boy. "We'll leave this place, and take you somewhere you can truly be happy."

"Go where?" asked Dalios in puzzlement.

Razekar seemed floored by this, and also unaware of Dalios's words. "You…You really mean that Miss Daisy? I matter that much?"

_Yeah, go ahead and forget about the little kid who couldn't possibly understand your lovebird talk_, Dalios thought with a grumble, annoyed that his age once again made him unimportant to others. He hated it when that happened.

Then it occurred to him that maybe they really _had_ forgotten his existence, with all the previous instability. He stepped out in between the two dream beings and waved his arms wildly. They took no notice of him at all.

_So _that's _the problem._

Daisy nodded quietly, stretching her hand out to Razekar. "So why wait? Let's go."

As if entranced, Razekar began to walk over to Daisy, raising his own hand carefully to join with hers. But then he stopped just short of her grasp, and his expression became more solemn.

"You're not the real Miss Daisy," he said, his eyes narrowing and his hand falling back to his side. "The real Miss Daisy would not run away from her duties in Blackstone Merlot, even as everyone else predicts gloom and doom for the city. And she certainly wouldn't flee for a mere romantic tryst, and certainly not with me, who is neither the best nor the favorite."

The black-haired woman stayed quiet for a moment. "…Honestly, I don't know why he wants you in particular so badly. But if Pharos wants you, then it doesn't matter what I think."

She burst into a ball of blue flame, causing both Razekar and Dalios to jump back. A moment later the fire fading to reveal a flying ruby-red phoenix.

The dream Razekar immediately took a defensive stance. "Who or what are you? And what have you done with Miss Daisy?"

"I am Neirnyx," the shapeshifting avian replied coolly, with a trace of amusement. "And don't worry, your Daisy is untouched. She is merely elsewhere in the city, busy with other things. She will do fine without you."

_That's right, Neirnyx caught Raze! _thought Dalios.

"There is nothing for you here," continued Neirnyx with a shrug of her wings. "Blackstone Merlot is only a vacant vessel at best, and a festering corpse at worst. Anyone who does not leave will die an empty tool. The place I am from is a much better place, where people are truly happy and care about each other. Do you really think that Daisy actually cares about you?"

"I am useful to her. That's all that matters," Razekar answered. "I don't intend to leave Miss Daisy or Blackstone Merlot. I'm certainly not going to be taken for a ride by suspicious vamp like you."

Neirnyx sighed, a few blue embers drifting out of her beak. "Must we do this the hard way?"

Razekar responded by firing a lightning bolt at the phoenix. A white-and-red blur suddenly rushed between the two of them and took the electric shock instead. Razekar appeared both surprised and baffled by the intruder. Neirnyx merely looked smug.

But the one who was really bewildered was Dalios, for the interloper who had taken the blow was _him_. This Dalios seemed to be close to his present age, and wore the usual outfit of bright red with white stripes down the sides. But his expression was bland, and his green eyes dull. And, even stranger, he seemed unhurt by the previous shock.

_What am_ I _doing here? I don't remember any of this! _thought Dalios in mystification and alarm, as Rolly beside him seemed just as perplexed. _And what's wrong with me anyway? Am I drugged or something? That _would_ kinda explain why I don't know about this…_

"Dalios," Neirnyx spoke, and for a moment the real Dalios thought _he_ was being called. "Do you think you can help me persuade this anything-but-gentle man to come with us?"

"Yes Neirnyx," the other Dalios replied in monotone, leaning forward like he was about to participate in a race. Then he rushed forward like a greyhound, his neck chop barely blocked in time by a very astounded Razekar.

The dream Torpedo wasn't the only one flabbergasted, as Dalios gazed on in a half-stupor. …_What? How-_

The dream Razekar and dream Dalios exchanged and evaded blows as fast as snake strikes. Razekar mostly used his laser blade to try to slice the boy into chunks, while the dream Dalios used punches, chops, and kicks that Falcon would envy. The real Dalios could barely follow all the action with his eyes. Occasionally there were a few bolts of electricity that would hit the white-haired boy, but they seemed to only slow him slightly. Neirnyx lazily watched the battle.

…_This makes no sense! I've _never_ fought like that! If I could, I wouldn't need my acid whip or Rolly! Not that I'm not glad to have Rolly, but still-_

Rolly was hiding behind Dalios's legs, whimpering as he too watched the impossible fight.

After dodging another punch, Razekar grabbed the white-haired boy's head and shocked him for a good five seconds. The other Dalios finally dropped to the ground before a panting Razekar.

…_Yow. Maybe _that's_ why I don't remember super fighting skills anymore. Or _any_ of this, for that matter. How did I even survive that? _thought Dalios, though the explanation failed to soothe his suspicions much. _Well I'm still here, so I must have lived, somehow…_

Neirnyxclucked unhappily, shaking her head. "I suppose it's still a bit early for him to handle that kind of thing." Then she spat some blue fireballs at Razekar.

Razekar quickly evaded before shooting thunderbolts at the scarlet phoenix. Quickly her body changed to an almost cartoony shape, complete with exaggerated and simplified features, and the electricity easily slid off her new rubbery form. Keeping her new silly-looking but effective state, she spouted out a long stream of firebreath. Razekar almost dodged it, but his shoulder got seared. Metals and wires showed through the hole in his scorched suit.

"Wow, you're tough!" Neirnyx said, her voice obnoxiously cute and high-pitched to match her childish balloon-like form. "But I am too, and I can drag this out as long as I need to. And I'll enjoy it too! But you're not going to get away, no sir!"

Razekar only gritted his teeth as he charged, his laser blade activated as his eye began to shine brilliantly. His expression was dispassionate as he weaved his way around a series of fire blasts and quickly closed the distance between him and Neirnyx. His feet began to glow white with charged electricity, as did the rest of his body, until he was entirely cloaked in power and his hair stood on end slightly.

He leapt onto the side of one of the metal buildings, his magnetized feet allowing him to defy gravity's usual rules. He channeled further power into the laser on his wrist, and it grew from knife-size to sword-sized. Its pure-white form, almost too bright to look at, was swathed with overflowing electricity that writhed like serpents caught. He dove off the building side and skewered Neirnyx's wing with the prodigious blade, pinning her to the ground.

The scarlet phoenix let out an agonized and enraged screech, her rubbery outside useless for protecting her inner organs. Massive amounts of electricity surged through her as blood flowed from heir pierced wing.

"All that talk, and this is all you've got?" Razekar asked coldly, his body still ablaze with power and his eye a blinding orange light. "You, an organic, thought you could overpower someone like _me_?"

Neirnyx's screeching transformed into a roaring as she burst into blue flame again. She quickly reformed as a sinewy black Chinese dragon that swiftly entangled the surprised Razekar in her coils. Razekar tried to shock and stab the dragon, but her shiny scales were immune to both types of attacks.

"You were saying?" the reptilian Neirnyx taunted, her broad red-toothed smile inches away from Razekar's face.

Razekar snarled back, as his white glow and orange eye both began to fade.

_Not good. He must be running out of electricity to attack with, _thought Dalios, so enraptured that he almost forgot that it was all an illusion. _What he did earlier was supposed to be an end-all blow, only it didn't work and it's left him drained._

Something rushed past Dalios. It shot some kind of wire line that wrapped around the other unconscious Dalios, and flung the boy straight into Neirnyx's unexpecting face. Razekar freed himself from the dragon's grip while she was still stunned.

"Miss Daisy!" Razekar exclaimed as he landed.

"I leave for a day of business on the other side of town, and then something like this happens," Daisy remarked dryly, her spear-wire retracting back into her bracelet. "Somehow I'm not surprised."

"I apologize Miss Daisy," said Razekar as he went over to her side. "It's some kind of shapeshifter creature. It was impersonating you earlier, and I almost fell for it like a sap. I should have known better."

"It doesn't matter, as long as we rub it out before it causes more problems," Daisy replied coolly. "That will make up for any previous shortcomings."

Neirnyx shook her head as she got back up, reverting to her usual phoenix form. "I'm surprised you showed up, Miss Daisy. Didn't you have important appointments elsewhere?"

"This became more important," Daisy replied plainly.

"That so?" Neirnyx replied with some amusement. "Well, fine by me. This is perfect really. It will make this all the more fun."

IIIIII

_I've got to find him! _thought Stir, as she jumped from rooftop to rooftop. _I've got to find Jing! And Falcon - God, _Falcon_ - What am I going to say to him? He didn't even follow me! Why do I always end up hurting the people I care about? Maybe I'm just as cursed as my old armor._

The metallic hounds before her were blasted to pieces by huge bursts of green light, often several in one shot. Other shots obliterated whole tops of buildings, revealing either quivering pathetic people or mindless machines that worked on regardless. Some of the bursts barely missed Stir, but that did nothing to deter the silver-haired princess from her pursuit. Every now and then she would catch a shadowy outline of her quarry in the smog, glowing bright green, but remaining frustratingly beyond her reach. Sometimes she would find a splatter of his blood along the rooftops, red laced with florescent green.

Still, it did not take Stir long to find him once the metal dogs were destroyed. He had stopped running, and was staying on the tallest building in the area. It almost seemed like he was waiting for her. That made Stir both hopeful and suspicious.

"Jing!" Stir shouted, after she caught her breath.

The Bandit King looked down upon her, a cold smile on his lips. His feline steel-colored eyes were just as frigid. And seamed somewhere within that coolness, something like insolence. "Ah, there you are, princess."

Stir leapt up the last few buildings to land on Jing's perch, and frowned at what she saw. Between Kir's massive ribcages blood tinted with traces of glowing green seeped out of Jing's arm, dripping onto the metal rooftop. The small scarlet-and-green pool was sizzling and eating into the metal like acid.

_Dammit Jing, why do you have to be so reckless and downright _stupid_ right now? _thought Stir in aggravation. _Good thing Kir seems to have some kind of immunity to the blood, otherwise he would be in serious danger. _

"Jing, I need to treat your arm," Stir said, taking out some bandages. "Really we need to get some of that seal stuff to properly reseal your arm. But until then we need to put _something _on it to keep you from losing so much blood."

The Bandit King just laughed and bowed. "I'm flattered by your generous concern, but I will be fine. I am the Bandit King after all."

_Of all the - _"It won't matter who you are if you bleed out," Stir growled. "Even being a Bandit King won't protect you from that."

"She's right, Jing," said Kir, his voice cracked from repeated Kir Royale blasts. "You'll kill yourself at this rate. Hell, you'll kill _me_ at this rate!"

The cat-eyed boy gave Kir a bright yet impish smile. "Silly bird. A Bandit King cannot die. He merely steals his life back, and anyone else's."

Stir just gaped at him. _He's lost it. He's completely lost it._

A dry croak of disbelief came from Kir's hanging mouth. He stared at the boy he was attached to.

"Jing…" Kir began quietly, before his expression hardened. "No, you ain't the Jing I know."

Kir glowed as he detached from the Bandit King's arm, the dark albatross returning to his regular bird form. The Bandit King stared at his partner in shock as his own green glow faded, and his cat-slitted pupils returned to normal. Kir's gaze remained stern and steady.

"That's enough Jing," Stir spoke, striding over to him. She noticed the gray-eyed boy stepping back anxiously in response. "Let me see your arm and then we'll-"

"_No_!" Jing shouted, flinging his hurt arm outward in rage. Stir had to retreat to avoid the burning splatter of blood. "Don't touch me! _Either_ of you!"

"Jing-" both Stir and Kir began.

"I don't need _either_ of you!" yelled Jing, as tendrils of vividly-colored ooze reared up around him like a cage of snakes. "I don't need _anyone_!"

Some of the fantasy twined around his bleeding arm, forming a loose but certain facsimile of Kir's gun mode over the limb. At the same time the vivid liquid spread over his back and stretched outward to form semi-fluid and a tail that was more like a whip than the backbone it was supposed to be mimicking. The colors were ever twisting and shifting within the fantasy.

"_J-Jing_!" Kir shouted in alarm.

_Shit_, Stir thought, gritting her teeth and clenching his fists tightly. So much for trying to be gentle with him. She didn't know why she had bothered. Gentleness had never gotten her anywhere in the past. Not with her grieving mother, not with her long-dead brother, not with her wicked uncles that had murdered said brother, and most certainly not when she had fought in the Mascorrida fights of her mother's own devising.

It came down to force. It always came down to force. Words were useless.

And then she was no longer Stir, the silver-haired princess, but the Warrior of the Rising Sun, an anonymous soldier encased in red lioness armor. She gazed upon Jing in cold silence as she took out her sword and took a battle pose.

Jing raised an eyebrow. "Oh? So you want to fight?" He then smirked and pointed the faux Kir at her. "Fine then. Let us dance, oh beauteous beast, in the only way you seem to prefer."

"Hold on! Jing! Stir!" Kir cried out in alarm. "You guys don't need to do this!"

"True. We don't need to," said the Bandit King with a smile. "But we want to."

The metal lioness answered by charging toward Jing, blade thrusting forward. Jing dodged to the side, his strange wings allowing him to glide a bit before he landed.

"Give me a Kir Royale!" he shouted, as green energy surged into the false Kir's mouth. The fake beak was all but burnt away by the time the blast had fired, but it reformed a few moments later.

The Warrior of the Rising Sun rolled out of the way of the Kir Royale, which blew up a sign advertising repair services instead. She then pounced forward, sword raised high above her head. The sparks of the destroyed sign transformed her body into a sleek black silhouette. Her yell was distorted by the armor, making it sound anything but human.

_-Now! _the broken sign babbled. -_Time-is-now! Come-_

Jing jumped out of the way, and the metal lioness's blow shattered the rooftop below. Spreading his wings to glide away from the wreckage, he launched another Kir Royale down at the debris cloud enclosing his opponent. The ensuing explosion threw even more dust and grit into the smoggy air, obscuring everything. At first there was only the dull hum of the city and the rambling of the derelict sign, but then three moon-boomerangs shot out of the filthy clouds below. Jing blocked with his fantasy wings, which repelled the sharp projectiles.

"Stop!" Kir shouted in a panic, narrowing avoiding a stray moon-boomerang. "Stop it, both of you! _Stop_!"

But he was struck by a wayward blast from the fake Kir, and fell to the ground unconscious. The two combatants went on fighting.

IIIIII

Falcon groaned as he woke up, still not sure what had hit him. But he was sure of one thing: there had been nothing in Stir's eyes as he had confessed his feelings to her. It was the same type of emptiness that had filled Holly's eyes when he had named her and told her his plans to escape the forest that enslaved them. No, it was worse, for at least Holly had been somewhat flattered, even if she didn't really believe in it or understand it. But the princess-

He felt his heart clench. Stir seemed mad about it. Or worse, _annoyed_, as if those passionate words were only buzzing flies. He lay there, dismally wondering what he kept doing wrong with girls. Weren't girls always talking about wanting a hero?

Oh well, he knew it was probably going to happen anyway. It wasn't that big a deal. Not really, not at all.

Only when he stopped swimming in his thoughts did he suddenly realize that he wasn't in the same place that he had been knocked out in. He sat up in alarm, now carefully taking in his surroundings.

Instead of being out in the streets he was inside a massive building, lying lengthwise on a pew. Around him were other people stretched out on other pews, still asleep. The back of the pews had the name _St. Shiraz_ stamped out in black blocky format.

_St. Shiraz?_ Falcon thought, puzzled. _Oh right, that big church in the middle of the city. But how'd I get here?…Is it okay that I don't have a shirt on in a church?_

Beyond the many pews that the many people slept on, the interior of St. Shiraz didn't look much like a church. There were no pedestals, no statues of holy figures, no paintings depicting sacred events. Neither were there any books, relics, altars, or hymns to be seen or heard. The stained-glass windows were so thickly colored that Falcon couldn't see the city outside. The place was unnervingly quiet.

Everything was plated gold, from the gleaming floor to the shining sides to the gleaming ceiling. They were lit up by too-bright artificial lights that made the whole place hard to look at directly. Aside from the gilded glory, however, everything was unusually spartan in design. Falcon could see all the wires bulging like aged veins just underneath the thin golden coating, and from somewhere he smelled oil.

Then something caught his eye. On one of the farthest pews was a sleeping girl with golden hair and wearing a baseball cap. Her scarred face was serene, and the bat lying beside her was untouched.

"Cassis!" Falcon shouted, his voice booming far too loudly in the deafening silence. He ran over to her side, each hurried footstep echoing piercingly throughout the church. "Cassis, are you alright? Can you hear me?"

Cassis remained unmoved by his calls, slumbering on. He knew it was slumber, though, for her could see her chest rise and fall peacefully.

"Oh, this one is awake."

Falcon turned to see a gray-eyed monk walking toward him. He was well-washed with no hair on his head, and was smiling amiably. He was dressed in glittering robes that were long enough to hide his feet, but not long enough to touch the floor.

"Greetings, young one," spoke the monk, stopping his stroll once he was a few feet away from Falcon. "What a rare sight you are. Are you ready to be reborn?"

"Reborn?" asked Falcon, confused. "Uh, no, not really. I like the way I am."

"You would prefer to be left to the fickle will of nature?" asked the monk.

"Well, yeah. That's what's best, usually," said Falcon, though he briefly thought back to the bloodthirsty woods of his birth. _No, not that kind of nature_.

Oh, you unfortunate child," replied the monk, his expression growing serious as he bowed his head. "It is truly sad how everything organic is encrusted with sin. Plants, animals, even humans always have to bear the imperfection of their forbearers, even as they try to change and adapt and make up for the past mistakes of their race. Flesh is always flawed."

"Well…" Falcon began.

"But metal is free from all the corruptions of the flesh," the monk continued, looking upward and raising his hands to the ceiling, his contented smile returning. "With wires and electricity the unruly emotions and passions can be controlled, those evil desires suppressed, the body preserved from Mother Nature's hunger. Free of such ruthless rule, that is true liberty."

"Uh, no it's not," Falcon replied, peeved by the monk's outlandish claims. "You're just trapping yourself, letting yourself be turned into something else. What's the point of living longer if you're no longer yourself?"

The monk frowned deeply for the first time, as he returned his stern gray-eyed gaze to Falcon. "You are so young, and yet already you are tainted by the brutish drives of your organic body, driving your soul into the intimate, endless darkness. Which is why we must purify as many souls as we can of the damning bonds you cling to even as you sink."

"What do you mean?" asked Falcon warily.

"We mean that we will transfer your sacred spirits from these corrupt flesh cages into pure metallic vessels," answered the monk. "We will break everyone free of the natural cycle imposed upon souls, and will help those souls become liberated." He began to walk over to the still-sleeping Cassis.

Falcon immediately put himself between the monk and Cassis. "No! Stay away from her! You're not turning either of us into robots! Cassis! Cassis, wake up already!"

"But we are trying to save both of you," said the monk, tranquil grin still in place as he continued to approach.

"What's wrong with you people? You can't force someone to be something they don't want to be!" Falcon yelled. "That's not salvation! That's enslavement!"

"If we must enslave to save souls, then who are we to question it?" asked the monk, before he rushed toward Falcon.

Falcon blocked the punch with his arm. It hurt more than he expected it to. Falcon retaliated with a punch to the monk's stomach, but the monk didn't even flinch. Falcon's hand, on the other hand, stung like he had punched solid rock.

Falcon bit back a cry. _Geez, these guys must do some hardcore training here in this church. Or is this guy -_

The monk threw another punch at Falcon. The fair-haired fighter ducked the blow and used a sweeping kick to knock the monk off his feet. The monk fell hard onto his face, and Falcon put a foot on his neck to keep him from getting up.

"You know, I've seen some of the worst of nature myself," said Falcon solemnly, thinking back to his old bloodsucking woods. "No, I've seen the worst of _going against_ nature. I don't hate nature. I respect it, because we all came from it and are part of it. To sever that connection, to think we're above it, is not an escape but a slow death."

The monk remained silent. Falcon wondered if he had knocked him out, but he doubted it.

There was a groggy groan behind him. "…Falcon? Where are we?"

"In a place where people are turned into machines, sometimes against their will," Falcon answered with a certain coldness he hadn't felt in a long time. "…You okay, Cassis?"

"Yeah, I think so," replied Cassis, as she sat up and rubbed her head. "Just confused. I don't even remember what happened before we got here. What are we even doing in this city? And what are those colors spreading on you?"

Falcon glanced down to see that strange vivid hues were bleeding through the bandages on his chest. "I don't know, actually. As long as it's not oil, it's fine."

Cassis didn't seem too convinced by his vague explanation.

"And we're here because-" Falcon continued, before pausing. "I…don't remember that either. Were we…looking for someone?"

"Poor beings of fading purpose," spoke the monk, drawing the attention of both Falcon and Cassis. "It is our duty at St. Shiraz to raise all of you to your better selves-"

"_Shut up_!" snapped Falcon, putting more pressure on the monk's neck.

"-As we once had to do ourselves," the monk went on, paying no heed to Falcon's aggression. A swarm of wires erupted from the monk's back, entangling Falcon and shocking him. Some of the finer wire dug into his skin and began to siphon blood out of him. Falcon cried out as he thrashed to get free.

"_Falcon_!" Cassis yelled, trying to beat some of the wires away with her bat, even as she got zapped some herself. "Dammit, let go of him!"

Falcon started to slip into unconsciousness. _No…Got to beat this…_Flashes of the vampire trees, draining him over and over and over again, kept looping in his mind. _Got…to…_

Explosions wrecked the inner heart of the church. A thin red laser swept across the monk and blew it apart, releasing Falcon and sending metal scraps shooting everywhere. Cassis was also sent flying back, some of the shrapnel narrowly missing her face and eyes. Falcon landed hard on his back, some wires still coiled around him but devoid of their previous charge. The remaining smaller wires wept stolen blood.

Adam and Lilith ran out of the smoke, pursued by several monks that looked exactly like the first one. Some were still pretending to be human, but most already had wires and blades jutting out of their bodies. On Adam's arm was a newly hatched Eve in full Burdensome Gun mode, the source of the many laser attacks.

"C'mon, we gotta get outta here!" shouted Lilith, trying to dodge her way to the exit.

"_Eve_ _Revelation_!" shouted Adam, blowing up the first line of monks with a wide sweep of Eve's red laser. "But what about the people still here on the pews? We can't just leave them here to get turned into bots! _Eve_ _Revelation_!"

"Well, what are we gonna do? _Carry_ them?" Lilith snapped back. "We're making plenty of ruckus just getting out of here. If _that_ doesn't wake 'em up, then that's their fault for sleeping like logs! We can get help or something once we get outside, and then we're leaving. And I mean _leaving_ this whole damn city and _never_ coming back. Let's _go_!"

"I'm _going_, I'm _going_!" yelled Adam, as the thieving trio shot past Falcon and Cassis like they were only specters. Then they were out the doors, the few intact monks chasing after them. Once again the church was silent.

"We better get outta here too," said Cassis. "If we can get also get back-up, maybe we can save the rest of the people here before the monks get back."

Falcon said nothing.

"Falcon?" Cassis asked.

"…Why?" Falcon muttered, his voice low and quiet and unlike his usual tone. He made no motion to get up. "Why can't I ever win? I do the right thing. I train hard. I follow my heart. Yet why do people like that lying cheating scum Bandit King always outclass me, that _damn _pretender, getting away with anything and everything…"

Holly danced across Falcon's mind, with her long light-pink hair and cheerful blue eyes. Her charming yet sad little smile as she betrayed him to the vampire forest.

Falcon sat up, leering at the dirty gilded ground. He ripped off his color-stained bandages and clutched them in his fist. The colors that had been underneath the bandages turned to angry shades of red and orange. "What am I doing wrong? Why can't I be strong? Why…"

As Falcon rose the magma-like patches of color seeped across his torso, swallowing his skin. It grew into the shape of his lost shirt, only with shifting, fiery colors and tattered ends that writhed like tongues of flame. The colors then began to bleed into his other clothes, as he prowled over to the remains of the first monk. His expression was unreadable as he ripped off one of the monk's metal arms and soaked his discarded bandages in the bleeding oil.

"What are you doing?" asked Cassis, watching him with both concern and suspicion.

"…Why do I always have to resort to this…" Falcon rambled on, ignoring Cassis and her words as he wrapped the oil-soaked bandages over the mostly-destroyed hand. He skulked over to some livewires jutting out of another fallen monk. He began to lower the black-drenched cloth strips over the madly flying sparks of the metal body.

"Falcon, what are you doing?" Cassis repeated, louder this time.

The bandages caught on fire.

"…To make a difference…" Falcon went on, lifting up the newly-lit makeshift torch. "…I always need fire." Falcon's outfit had become completely consumed by the lava colors. Even his headband had changed hue. The long loose strands in the back perpetually floating as if there was a constant wind.

"…But I thought you were afraid of fire," said Cassis.

"Oh no," said Falcon, as he felt a thin grin slip onto his face like a mask. His mesmerized eyes reflected the orange of the flame. "I like fire."

As he lowered the torch, a trickle of red ran down from his outfit. It slipped down his arm, and then went into the torch flame. The fire suddenly blazed higher and turned bright blue.

"_Falcon_!" Cassis shouted.

He dipped the torch onto the remains of the monk, and the robot was engulfed in blue fire that quickly spread across the oil-slick floor. The azure blaze raced to consume the walls, the ceiling, the other destroyed metal monks, enveloping everything in its quick path. It did not touch Falcon, though it swirled around him closely like an inferno tornado.

Cassis had no such protection, and had to scramble back to avoid the voracious flame. "What the hell are you doing, Falcon?" She glanced behind her to the pews in horror. "_There are people here_! _Falcon_!"

Falcon did not respond, tendrils of fire spiraling and twisting around him like delirious dragons. The fire did not heed her call either.

IIIIII

The dream Razekar and Daisy dove out of the way of a fire blast from Neirnyx. Daisy tried to sneak attack Neirnyx from behind, but the ruby phoenix swatted her down to the ground, stunning her. Razekar rushed to her aid as Neirnyx further closed in on her prey.

But it was too late. Neirnyx showered fire all over Daisy, the flames concealing the victim from sight.

"_Daisy_!" Razekar screamed. He sent out a strong thunderbolt that made Neirnyx screech and stop her firebreathing.

_Oh man_, thought Dalios. _That was brutal, even for Neirnyx. I've never known her to-_

The smoke and flames cleared, revealing not a dead body but an entirely mechanical one. The so-called skin and hair had been melted off, and it was charred nearly black. Sparks were flying everywhere out of the unmoving metal frame.

Razekar stared in disbelief. "Miss Daisy was a robot?" Then Razekar shook his head as an uneasy grin appeared on his face. "No, wait, this can't be the real Daisy. This must be a bot decoy she had made. Or it's another one of your tricks, bird. Yeah, that must be it. It must be-"

"Would you like to know the truth?" asked Neirnyx, her tone unusually soft and careful. "About everything?"

Razekar eyed her suspiciously. "If I did, why should I believe you?"

"Because it's what you've always expected," replied Neirnyx coolly. "Only even more than you ever imagined."

Razekar frowned and glared at her. "What would you know about me?"

At this Neirnyx smiled. "More than you're willing to admit to yourself."

The doors on the civilian buildings, so long sealed shut, cracked open all at once. Dingy-looking people, all with dull eyes, staggered outside. None looked as if they had slept in years, or had bothered to wash their clothes or hair in that time period either.

Razekar stared in astonishment. "What? These people never leave their apartments. _Never_."

Robot gorillas and other machines joined the dreary people, as they all stalked toward Razekar and Neirnyx. Razekar, for all his experience as a Torpedo living in this city, appeared unnerved by their sheer strangeness.

Neirnyx, on the other hand, seemed to be amused. "Oh, have I said too much already, according to your regulations?"

The people and machines said nothing, nor did they slow their steady approach.

Razekar eyed Neirnyx warily. "What is this?"

Neirnyx glanced back at him, her humor abruptly vanishing. "The truth."

A young man in a torn and dusty business suit suddenly rushed forward and lashed out at Neirnyx. The ruby phoenix countered by dousing the young man in flames.

"Hey!" shouted Razekar.

When the flames cleared the man was nothing more than a robotic skeleton, much like Daisy had been earlier. It fell forward limply.

"That man too?" questioned Razekar, before his eyes widened in realization. He gaped out to the rest of the people. "No. Are they all-"

"Yes," said Neirnyx. ""They're all machines, like almost everyone else left in this city. Bit by bit they've all lost their humanity through rebirth after rebirth, until St. Shiraz just gave them fully robotic bodies because nothing organic could be salvaged. Eventually the church decided to just give everybody robotic bodies to start with, both because of church beliefs and because it saved them trouble in the long run."

The people briefly gazed at the burned metal shell of the young man, then continued their mindless trek without a word.

"What is sad," Neirnyx added, as she watching the machine people. "Is that they don't even realize what they've become. They don't know what they've lost. Now they are mere puppets being controlled by the very source that took away their humanity."

Razekar stared before him dumbfounded.

Neirnyx looked back at Razekar. "You are one of the few left that's at least partially human. And that's only because you've done such a good job of surviving. You haven't needed a rebirth in the past decade or so, which is when the rebirth policy changed. Do you really want to stay here until you eventually fall and lose the rest of yourself? Because it _will_ happen if you stay. These…_people _will see to that. You know too much now."

Razekar said nothing.

"Go."

Razekar jumped at the unexpected voice, and with both hope and dread turned to the scorched shell near him. Despite her beaten and burned condition, the robot's voice still sounded perfectly human. "…Miss Daisy?"

Daisy the robot creaked up into a sitting position "You need to leave now." She stood up and staggered in front of Razekar and Neirnyx. "You do not belong here."

"But Miss Daisy-" Razekar began to protest.

"You deserve…life," she said, a faint smile forming over her mechanical lips. "I am sorry, that I could not give you that truly. I tried."

Razekar's eyes widened. "Daisy, you really…all this time, you really-"

Neirnyx also appeared stunned. Then she barked out a laugh. "The world amazes me every day."

"Now leave," Daisy said, turning back around and heading toward the mechanical mass of machines.

While Razekar was still in shock, Neirnyx picked him and the other Dalios up and started to fly away.

Daisy looked up at them, silently. Then she threw herself at the metallic mob, who converged on her in turn.

"_Daisy_!" Razekar screamed, but he had barely screeched out her name before it was over. There was only scrap metal left of Daisy Wheel, and the robotic horde was quickly returning their attention to Neirnyx and her cargo.

"Sorry kid," Neirnyx said. "But it's time to move on. She said so herself."

Razekar snarled as he tried to summon some thunderbolts to throw down at the robotic swarm below, but all he generated was a few sparks. Both physically and mentally drained, his eyes went dull as Neirnyx flew him away. The scarlet bird dodged attack after projectile attack as she and her load escaped into the smog-choked sky.

The real Dalios knew she would get away, because Razekar indeed became part of Pharos's extraordinary collection of people, animals, and everything else. But the whole scene left him stunned.

_Oh man, I had no idea it was _that_ bad_, he thought. _To think that someone you cared about never could or would care about you, only to find out that they cared all along, and then to lose them at that very moment…Neirnyx must have had to do a lot of memory work on him. And even then…during all of his womanizing, was he really looking for her, the one important person he couldn't bear to remember or forget?_

Then the whole place lit up and distorted with electricity again, only stronger this time.

_Crap, the real Razekar can't take much more of this. I've got to find him, now!_

Dalios slammed his hands into the ground, forcing the area to become pure fantasy. As he grasped the silver strings just below the surface, his eyes flew open.

_No_! _The others -_

IIIIII

"Falcon, _stop_!" Cassis screamed, pursuing the fair-haired fighter through the burning church. She wove her way through the blue flames everywhere, barely able to see or breathe in all of the smoke. "_Falcon_!"

If Falcon heard her cries, he did not respond. Instead he kept walking deeper into the church, torch in hand. Those people, she hoped those people who had been on the pews were getting out. A wall of fire behind her prevented her from going back to check.

Cassis fought memories of fire as well as actual fire. They were memories of screaming, of hot pain on her face and body.

"Stop it!" Cassis wailed, suddenly a ten-year-old girl again with fresh burns. "I don't like fire! I _hate_ fire! Hate it, hate it, _hate _it!"

She had memories of Jing, also screaming, as he was dragged away and locked up in that cold vehicle. She had lain there in a stupor as he was whisked away. She was losing him…She was losing him…

She remembered a time later, when her burns were healed but still covered by bandages for the sake of shame and vanity. They were in a prison, an utterly destroyed and now-vacant prison. The three boys were running around laughing and excited at all the wreckage. She was staring into an abandoned solitary confinement cell.

And scrawled all over the walls, floor, and even ceiling were ramblings, frenzied ravings crisscrossing each other to the point of barely being legitable. But legible they were, however barely, however much she wished that they weren't. They were weaved among the walls like the strings of a mad cocoon. And everywhere, _everywhere_ were scribbles of that cat face, that damn cat face with a smile too wide to be possibly sane.

_I've lost him_, she had thought then. _I couldn't protect him, and I _lost_ him. _

Yet she had torn off her bandages and went searching for him anyway. Only, when she had finally found him again, when she saw those steel-colored eyes and that well-practiced smile, she found her fears all over again. _I've lost him. This isn't the boy I knew. I've lost him…_

Her body and mind now returning to the present, she gazed upon the boy just ahead of her. This boy, Falcon, he had gone through hell even before her own pains had begun. Yet despite that he faced everything with an easy grin, able to carry on with other's burdens as well as his own. Someone who saw the splendor behind the ugliness of everything. And now she was losing him…She was losing him…_Am I going to lose him too? _

It shook her, how much that thought frightened her. It stunned her so much, she was barely aware of how she suddenly sped up, reached out, and grabbed his wrist.

The next thing she knew, she had been flung onto the ground. Falcon loomed over her, ice-blue eyes ablaze in cold anger.

_Yeah, sneak up on the martial artist. _Real _bright, Cassis_, she thought, heart still racing. "Falcon, listen to me! This isn't the real you! It never has been!"

Falcon only leered at her. "This _is_ the real me. I should know. What makes you think you know me better than I do myself?"

"No, the real Falcon is a strong, caring person, that's brave and determined no matter what he's facing or has faced," Cassis replied. "The real you-" Cassis paused, and then smiled mischievously. "-The real you is awkward around girls." She suddenly pulled Falcon down close to her, tightly him tightly.

Falcon abruptly stiffened in shock, dropping his torch. "W-W-What are you doing? I-I-"

The lava-like coloring of his outfit slowly reverted to its usual deep blue coloring. The torch rolled away, soon swallowed by the other flames.

Cassis released Falcon, and he sat up in a hurry, blushing vividly. "I'm s-sorry, I didn't-"

She couldn't help but chuckle despite the fiery chaos around them. "Welcome back."

"Welcome back? But I didn't go anywhere," answered Falcon in confusion. Then he finally registered his burning surroundings, and his sky-blue eyes widened. "…What? Did I-"

"…Yeah," Cassis answered, her expression growing more serious. "Not entirely sure what made you snap, but apparently something broke up there for a bit," she added, tapping her forehead. "Either way, we should get-"

Wild electricity erupted from everywhere, lashing out crazily. Falcon and Cassis barely avoided being struck by the rogue lightning.

"What the hell?" Cassis yelled. "Is the church breaking down? I guess it wouldn't be too surprising, considering all the damage you-" She paused, staring at him blankly. "…You, what's your name again?"

IIIIII

The Bandit King and The Warrior of the Rising Sun were still fighting when suddenly the city started shaking and shooting electricity everywhere. Both combatants were forced to stop when they were both struck by thunderbolts and momentarily dazed.

Only now that The Warrior of the Rising Son had stopped fighting did she realize that she didn't know what she was fighting for. What was the point of this battle? She never fought without a reason. Why she here? _Who_ was she, really? There was more to her than fighting, surely?

She was so lost in thought that at first she didn't hear the Bandit King's screams.

He was gripping his arm, where the fantasy Kir on his arm was dissolving and seeping into his wounds. The boy began to shake uncontrollably, his gray eyes wide with shock and terror. The fantasy wings were now melting into heavy blobs that were weighing the boy down and forcing him to his knees.

_That fool, letting that stuff get into his bloodstream!_ the metal lioness thought, her senses and reflexes fully snapping back into place as she rushed over to him. She dropped her sword, fight forgotten, name forgotten, armor forgotten as she shifted back to a regular silver-haired girl. She opened her mouth to call his name, only to realize she didn't know it. But hadn't she known this boy for a long time?

He had collapsed onto the ground by the time she reached him. Only the boy's head and shoulders were still visible, the rest of him coated with colors. He did not respond to her arrival, his gray eyes glazed over. His breath and body were already encrusted with a thin layer of frost.

"Hey! _Hey_!" she shouted, shaking his still-unmarred shoulders, so cold to the touch. The boy only emitted a faint groan. "Snap out of it! We've got to get you out of that stuff! _Hey_!"

The rainbow substance accelerated its spread upward. A cry of alarm escaped from the silver-haired girl. She tried to push back at the liquid colors in desperation, not caring that they were getting all over her hands and starting to infect her too.

"No…_No_!" she shouted, as she tried to fling the chaotic hues away. "Get off! Get off! Boy, can you-"

She looked down to see the boy unconscious, his breathing slow and frosty.

Her heart lurched, and suddenly she was in another place and time, when it was not this boy but a much younger, white-haired boy, barely past the toddler stage really. He had been lying prone on the castle floor, unmoving. Her brother…Her brother! She had shook him and shook him, but he never got up. He never got-

Now she was that little five-year-old girl again, in a quaint little dress with a big white bow in the back, with big silver eyes just as teary.

"W-Wake up!" she sobbed, becoming more and more frightened as she continued to shake the sleeping boy beneath her. "You gotta wake up! _Please_! Please, don't leave me too!"

The boy moaned and shifted slightly under her touch.

The little girl's expression brightened some. "Yeah, that's it! C'mon, wake up!"

Some of the colors abruptly reared up into a huge glob that hovered slightly over the boy, several thin liquid threads still attached to the boy's back. The little girl gaped as the huge glob molded itself into a vague thing with a cat-like face and a thin cape-like body hanging loosely. Its hollow lime-green eyes shone fiercely as it leaned down to the little girl's face and hissed loudly, revealing smiling teeth with sharp fang canines.

The little girl yelped and skittered back in surprise and horror, silver eyes wide. Then she stood up straight and glared at the distorted feline being. "Leave him alone, you big yucky bully! Go away! Or I'll make you!"

The cat-like creature snickered at this threat, its too-wide smile ever in place. Its cape-like body drooped around the boy possessively.

"I mean it!" shouted the little girl, running over to the sword lying on the ground. She tried to pick it up, but it was too heavy for her small body and her color-infected arms. So she charged at the cat-being instead, letting out an enraged roar.

The feline creature sneered as it swatted her away with a single summoned tendril of color. The little girl landed roughly on the ground, already shivering from the blow. Between that and her contaminated hands and arms, she couldn't move. She was so cold, and so confused.

"No…" she groaned, still seeing the boy and the cat being above him. "Got…Got to…what?…What is all…this…What is…?"

IIIIII

Falcon stared back. "You don't know my name?"

"I…Dammit, this is nuts!" she hissed, taking off her baseball cap and rubbing her head. "I mean, I was just shouting your name over and over just a minute ago…At least I _thought_ I was…"

"Um…don't feel too bad about it, because I can't remember _your_ name either, sorry," he answered awkwardly, putting his arms behind his head and looking away. "…Or _mine_, for that matter."

"Wait, you don't know your own _name_?" she exclaimed, before her blue eyes became even more alarmed. "…_Crap_! I can't remember _my_ name either!"

"Maybe we didn't have names to start with?" the boy offered with a clumsy smile. "I mean, that's usually how it is where I come from."

"I _know_ I have a name!" the girl retorted irritably. "And what kind of place are _you_ from, where people don't even get _names_?"

"Uh, I dunno," the boy admitted. "Where are _you_ from?"

The girl didn't answer. The painful wordlessness between them lasted until a bang of lightning near them jolted them out of their befuddled thoughts.

"Ah, nevermind! Let's get outta here!" she shouted, turning toward the exit. "We'll figure out this _who_ and _where_ crap later!"

The fair-haired boy began to follow her, but then he stopped. All of this electricity, it reminded him of something…

"_Raze_!" he exclaimed, dashing off in the other direction.

"_Wait_! Get back here!" yelled the fair-haired girl, chasing after him. "Whatever a Raze is, it ain't worth burning up for!"

The fair-haired boy didn't know what a Raze was either, except that it was important, and that it was _here_. And that it wasn't something to be left in a burning church.

He careened through the blue flames (_He_ had done this? Why?) and rushed for the heart of the church. Along the way he glanced more fallen monks and haywire machinery that had been in the middle of "rebirthing" their captive creatures. Others had already been fully mechanized, but lay still as they waited for the spark of reboot.

But about half a dozen were awake, unfortunately and wretchedly awake. They lunged for the boy and girl in their miserable madness. The boy yelled out in alarm, and they were instantly swallowed by converging blue fire. Instantly swallowed, but not instantly devoured: the boy still heard their almost inhuman screams long after running out of range.

And he wondered: How had he done it? Did he always have so much and yet so little control over fire? And then he wondered, with dread: The girl's scars, those terrible _burn_ scars, were they his fault too?

They ran and ran, as the gilded walls began to melt away to expose dark metal and red wires. There seemed to be no end to the church. Nor did there seem to be a limit on the flames and thunderbolts, which were united in a passion to rend everything. The boy did not fear for his own sake, for the fire guarded him, but he gripped the girl's hand tightly and kept her close.

They finally arrived at the innermost chamber. The blue fire had yet to reach this place, though it would reach it soon enough. The sole object in this black room was a large metal sphere ten feet in both height and circumference. Numerous wires clutched the sphere like ravenous worms, some thin as yarn, others thick as an elephant's leg. They held the sphere from all sides, and then extended and disappeared into the shiny ebony-hued walls.

The room was crawling with electricity emitted from the sphere. The boy and girl dared not even step into the room, staying inside the hallway instead.

"So now what?" the girl asked, watching the writhing electricity in vague amazement. "Is that power source thing the Raze?"

The boy also had his gaze locked forward, his expression serious. "…Yeah, I think so."

"You _think_ so?" the girl asked with a raised eyebrow. "Eh, whatever. So how are we gonna move that huge thing? How are we even gonna _get_ to it, for that matter?"

The boy said nothing, continuing to stare forward. Should he use fire? But he didn't want to use fire, not for this. He might damage the Raze.

"Hey, you listening?" asked the girl with irritation.

The boy narrowed his eyes. For a moment his pupils flashed a pale shade of gold. "False."

"What?" questioned the girl in confusion.

"_Raze_!" the boy heard himself scream, the word erupting unbidden from his throat.

The electricity suddenly lessened. The boy sprinted forth toward the entangled metal sphere. With a yell the boy jumped up and struck the machine orb with a punch, shattering it.

The boy surprised even himself. Since when was he strong enough to break metal with a single blow? He wished he could remember who he was...

Gallons upon gallons of bright rainbow liquid spilled out of the broken orb, quickly flowing across the black floor. A lanky young man with tangerine-colored hair also fell out, landing at the boy's feet unconscious. The world's colors abruptly inverted.

The boy stared around him, and then at the insensible man on the floor.

The girl ran up to him, her feet splashing in the multi-colored liquid. "What's going on now?"

"Don't ask me," the boy admitted, rubbing his forehead. This didn't make any sense. "I…I don't…Where…? What…?" Nothing made sense, even his own attempt at thought. "Head…"

The girl also held her head, apparently just as perplexed and disoriented as he was. The man before them had yet to awaken, though his eyes were flickering like he was trying to surface from slumber. The colors on the floor began to spread up her bodies.

"What…is this…" the boy muttered, clutching his head tighter. "What is…anything…?"

IIIIII

Rolly whined, partly in worry and partly in increasing bewilderment. Even the corgi mutt was not immune to the growing madness, though he was in much better shape than everyone else Dalios knew.

_Everyone's losing themselves_! Dalios thought in alarm, as he caught wisps of their increasingly nonsensical thoughts through the strings. _All the fantasy everywhere, and mental attacks and pressure of facing unwanted memories and secrets, it's breaking down their minds! They don't know what's real or what's not, which of their selves is the real them! If this keeps up-_

Cracks were contaminating the frozen, inverted world. He could feel the world, and all of his friends intertwined with it, fissuring.

_If this world was to reset now, when everyone can barely hold onto themselves- _No_! I _can't _let that happen!_

Fantasy and silver strings shot out from around Dalios, entwining with and patching up the breaking areas. Whenever new cracks appeared, the fantasy and strings rushed to fix it.

Dalios gritted his teeth under the physical and mental strain of the effort. _Okay, I've got to get this area stable. Once I've done that, then…then…_

"You haven't thought that far yet, have you, familiar one?" said a distorted voice behind him.

Dalios's eyes widened, but he could not turn to look. He was too involved in holding the world and his friends together. Rolly barked loudly at first, hopping into Dalios's line of sight, but then he suddenly fell into a trancelike state. Then the owner of the distorted voice came into view.

It was a bright blue fireball. No, it was a suit of crimson lioness armor. No, it was that Daisy lady. No, it was some odd wooden creature. No, it was a starved nine-tailed fox. No, it was a cat-masked monster. No, it was Neirnyx.

No…

Dalios squinted, and through all the conflicting, confusing images he saw a thin old man with long white hair, a long sharp nose, and bright green clothes with black swirls all over them. He wore an impish grin and his hands were folded behind his back.

"Valium…" Dalios spoke, unbelieving.

"Correct," the thin old man replied, the false images fading away and his true form becoming clearer and sharper. His voice was almost youthful for his apparent age. "I am Valium, the one you and the others came here seeking. Congratulations on finding me at last, familiar one. I knew you could do it."

"What do you…mean?" asked Dalios suspiciously, having trouble speaking due to his split concentration.

Valium ignored his question, instead glancing at the surroundings with amusement. "My, what a fine mess this is. But it's to be expected, for it is what happens to even the finest minds."

Rolly suddenly snapped out of his stupor and rushed for Valium, snake-like teeth bared. The thin old man merely raised his hand, not even looking at the orange dog. An instant later a swarm of fantasy erupted from the ground and enveloped the corgi mutt in its many tendrils. Rolly barely let out a yelp before he was pulled under and was lost from sight. The ground quickly reverted to normal, as if Rolly was never there.

"Rolly!" Dalios screamed.

"Anyway," Valium continued smoothly. "Now why don't we have a little game?" Valium held out his hand again. This time a golden rod with huge hoop at the end materialized in his grasp. "Since this game is about to end. You've left yourself vulnerable, and no one else is left to defend you."

_Crap_!_ He's right!_ thought Dalios, as he saw Valium lift the wand high above his head. _I can't move. If I do, the others-_

Valium swung the wand down.

_-The others!-_

There was a sharp cracking sound as Dalios was overwhelmed by powerful shadow-gold energy coursing through him. All the fantasy and strings he was manipulating fell apart as he felt himself fall and hit the ground. Dalios was only dimly aware of the disintegration of everything, but he was aware.

_No…every…one…_

"So I will see you soon," Valium spoke, Dalios only barely hearing him. "Let's have lots of fun, shall we? Who knows, perhaps you'll even learn a thing or two…"

Dalios felt his consciousness slip away even as his eyes closed.

"…About everything…"

_IIIIII_

_THE END :)_

_No not really XD. There are about 6 or so chapters to go. Almost everything has been written out in rough, so it won't take nearly as long to post the following chapters (though I am juggling projects, so updates may still take a few weeks/months each.) Thank you all you loyal fans who have followed this story this far! You WILL see an ending, eventually XP._

_NEXT CHAPTER: The end is where Dalios begins, and he's got his work cut out for him if he wants to bring everyone back together. God thing Valium is being strangely helpful...or maybe not. For as Dalios works on finding and connecting the pieces, he's getting questions instead of answers...especially about himself._

_Cya!_


	25. The Walking Jigsaw Puzzles

_Hi again! Yay, a chapter that didn't take years to post XD. But I expected that: this chapter didn't really need any changing, and is much shorter than the benemoth the last chapter was. _

_Believe it or not, this chapter (and the majority of the next couple of chapters) should be fun XP_

_Enjoy!_

**62nd Shot: The Walking Jigsaw Puzzles **

"Oh man, my head," Dalios moaned, as he sat up and starting rubbing his forehead. "And what-" Then he remembered everything, including his failure and his guilt. "Everyone…"

Then Dalios took a good look at his surroundings. He was in the middle of a hallway with various items crowded on the walls and even the ceiling. On one side were bird statues, each one different, and on the other side were lion statues, all also unique.

_So I'm back in Pharos's palace? _Dalios wondered, before shaking his head. _…No, this must be another memory world. A memory world based on…me? But wait, why am I still conscious and free then? I should be locked away somewhere in this world, like everyone else was in their own memory worlds. _

He gasped and quickly got onto his feet, headache forgotten.

_And if I'm still free, maybe the others are too! _Dalios thought hopefully. _I just need to find them._ He took a deep breath. "_Rolly_!"

At first there was silence. Then there was the _pitter-patter _of little feet rushing down the hallway.

The _pitter-patter _of many, _many_ feet.

A mass of orange-and-white corgis burst through the doorway, knocking a bewildered Dalios off his feet. The white-haired boy felt himself being carried on top of the "wave" of fur, which carried him helplessly out of the hallway and into the laundry room. The many washing machines were all running, despite having no clothes in them. Here the dogs spread out, leaving Dalios on the floor in a daze.

"…What the hell?" muttered Dalios, as he got onto his feet again. There were dozens, maybe hundreds of dogs present, all yipping, panting, growling, barking, and whining at all once. They covered the entire laundry floor, there were so many. And they all looked _exactly_ like Rolly.

_This is ridiculous_! thought Dalios, as he gawked at all of the "Rollys". _Why are there so many? And which is the real Rolly?_

Dalios picked up a random "Rolly" out of the sea of orange. The mutt whined and trembled at his touch.

"Not this one," said Dalios, putting the corgi back down and lifting up another one. That Rolly tried to nip his nose and growled at him, so he released that one as well. "Not this one either…" The third Rolly yawned loudly and almost fell asleep in his grip. "That's not him…Man, how am I supposed to tell Rolly apart from all these copies?"

Then he studied the "Rollys" around him more closely. _No, they're _not_ copies…they _look_ the same, but they act totally different from each other. And each one _sort of _reminds me of Rolly, but not quite…almost, as if…_

Dalios's eyes widened, and he almost dropped the "Rolly" he was holding. Instead he set the corgi pup down very carefully, and gazed out upon all the dogs present.

_These are _all_ Rolly!_

Dalios heard a low chucking and slow clapping behind him. He spun around to see Valium standing, or rather floating, nearby. His thin body and beaky nose reminded Dalios of a stork without wings.

"Very good," said Valium with a grin. "They are all Rolly. Do you know why, familiar one?"

"…You broke him apart," Dalios answered. "You split him up into all his personality traits. And you did the same thing to everyone else, didn't you?"

"Yes, them too," responded the beak-nosed man, still smiling. "I broke down their minds to the most basic components." He then raised one finger, expression still the same. "But I'll let you in on a secret. If you can find the key piece of their minds, the core that defines who they are, you can pull all of those fragments together to that core and meld them together into one mind again. But no other fragment will do: it must be the core. Otherwise it will be useless, familiar one."

Dalios narrowed his eyes. "Why are you telling me this? And why do you keep calling me _familiar one_? What does that even mean?"

"I'm telling you because a game is more fun to play when you know the rules," answered Valium. "As for my name for you…well, given enough time in the game, you should be able to figure it out yourself."

Dalios folded his arms, not satisfied, but not expecting anything clearer than that either.

"So tell me, out of all these Rollys, which one do you think represents his core?" asked Valium, making a sweeping gesture toward all the little dogs in the room.

Dalios studied the sea of orange-and-white fur around him. Then, wading through the mass of yipping mutts, he moved to an especially happy-looking Rolly sitting on one of the washing machines. The corgi cheerfully and patiently waited for Dalios, wagging his tail. Dalios paused before the orange mutt for a few moments, looked around one last time, and picked him up.

"This one," Dalios spoke with confidence. "Rolly has always been happy and loyal. It takes a lot of effort to make him mad or sad. So this must be his core."

Valium paused, ever smiling. Dalios wondered if that smile was permanently cemented to his face. "And you would be wrong."

Suddenly the false Rolly bit Dalios hard, causing thee white-haired boy to yelp and drop the dog. It scampered back into the vast pack of mutts.

"Well, I suppose it _is_ a bit hard to tell with a dog," Valium stated, pointing at Dalios's wounded hand. A bright blue bandage with yellow stars instantly materialized over the bite. "So I'll give you a freebie this time. This is more of a tutorial than anything, after all. And his nose will be useless to you here."

Raising a thin, bony hand over the dogs, several silver strings shot up from over the floor, floating aimlessly in the air. With a forceful swipe of his hand, the strings all connected to one dog. Which one Dalios couldn't exactly tell, for all the orange-and-white fur blended into one another and made it hard to tell each individual dog apart. The other ends of the strings then bound themselves to all the other dogs, looking like a water fountain put on pause. Then all the other dogs melted into fantasy, which flowed up the silver wires and melted into the one dog, as if the fountain was put into reverse to absorb the rainbow liquid. When all the color had been absorbed, the strings dissolved. The one dog, Rolly, shook his head before happily running over to Dalios.

Valium turned to Dalios. "And that is how it's done."

Dalios bent down and examined Rolly, who was wagging his tail but still looking a bit confused.

"Of course, minds can only stand to be fragmented for so long," Valium added. "After a while the fragments begin to think for themselves and become their own separate consciousness. Then the mind can never be united. So if you want to reassemble your friends, familiar one, you'll need to hurry."

Dalios looked back up from Rolly, leering at Valium. "Why do you do this kind of thing to people? Tearing open old wounds and scattering their minds? Is it really just a game, or do you gain something else from it?"

The bird-like man laughed. "Always so logical, familiar one. Why do people take apart clocks and animals? To see how they work. And each mind is so different. It's endlessly fascinating and entertaining to see what happens when a certain something is added or taken away, to see how they grow stronger, to see what it takes to break them and to watch how they fall to pieces. I have done this countless times, yet I am always surprised and I never know what to expect next." He giggled like a delighted child.

Dalios snarled. "So people are nothing but toys to you, toys to play with until they wear out and break down. You don't think of them as real living beings."

"What is reality? What is real?" Valium questioned in a whimsical tone, spinning around in one place. "But what are you standing around here for, talking with me about meaningless subjects? You have friends you want to save, don't you?" Valium dissolved into golden dust, which quickly thinned into nothingness.

Without further hesitation Dalios and Rolly ran through the place Valium had been standing moments ago, and out of the laundry room. When Dalios entered the next room, he couldn't help but stare, even though it was exactly what he expected.

It was a restaurant, though Dalios didn't remember there being a restaurant being right next to the laundry room. There were about a dozen people in the restaurant, but all of them were copies of people he was searching for. Half of them were Cassis, some of them were Razekar, and a few were Jing.

It wasn't quite the same as with Rolly. They all wore different clothes, though each Jing also had the signature orange coat draped over their outfits. The Jing that walked up to Dalios, for example, had a black-and-white waiter's suit on underneath the typical Jing coat.

"Hello there sir," the waiter Jing spoke with a pleasant smile but nervous tone. "Where would you like to sit, sir?"

_Not the real Jing_, Dalios thought with amusement. "Take me to one of the tables in the middle."

"Of course sir," answered the waiter Jing, leading Dalios and Rolly to a small table in the center of the restaurant. The white-haired boy sat in the plush green chair while Rolly hopped up to the purple chair across from him. Rolly was used to equal treatment in Pharos's palace.

The waiter Jing fumbled for the menus and his notepad. He gave Dalios a sheepish smile. "Sorry. I haven't done this kind of job much."

"Take your time," Dalios replied.

Seated at the table on right was a Razekar dressed in a purple suit and feathered hat. He was sipping a Blue Motorcycle while he chatted up the five girls sitting with him. A few tables back a Cassis in a sky-blue dress stared dreamily at the item-coated ceiling, her glass of water and vanilla ice cream untouched. To the left another Cassis with sunglasses was cheerily yapping away with yet another double of herself, who was trying to read a book on narcissism. A Falcon dressed like a clown was happily juggling balls onstage, only to get pulled offstage by a Falcon in red. The black-and-white-striped curtains abruptly closed.

Dalios quietly observed it all._ This is going to take awhile…_

What would you like, sir?" the waiter Jing asked, having finally gotten his notebook ready.

"Get me an apple and Rolly a bone," Dalios answered casually, handing the menus back.

"Will that be all, sir?"

"Yeah."

"Thank you sir," he replied, dashing off and nearly bumping into a Razekar wearing an oversized green shirt and loose slacks.

The stage curtain rose again. It revealed a Jing with a magician's outfit under his orange coat, and a Cassis with the gray eyes and darkened skin of a Chesirian. Both of them bowed toward the cheering crowd, however sparse it was.

With a snap of his fingers, the magician Jing filled the stage with multi-colored fire, which the Chesirian Cassis evaded with the grace of a dolphin in water. The inhabitants of the restaurant whooped and whistled loudly. Even Dalios, an outsider, was impressed. Rolly yipped at the fire-dancers eagerly.

Then Dalios noticed out of the corner of his eye a group of people who were _not_ clones of his friends sitting down at the table next to him. The first was Pharos, in all his golden-robed glory. The second was Neirnyx, her scarlet plumage as vivid as ever. The third, to Dalios's only mild surprise, was a younger version of himself, maybe seven years old. The fourth, to his great surprise, was Valium, but with brown hair mixed with silver, and a lean but not bony body.

At first the emerald-eyed boy figured that it was the real Valium in a thin disguise. But the more he watched the group, the more his gut told him that this Valium was just as fake as the others seated with him. No, not fake exactly, but memories. His memories, he realized: technically this was _his _memory world, however twisted its rules were.

Pharos smiled and clapped in delight as he watched the show on stage. Neirnyx gave loud, approving shouts next to him. The younger Valium merely leaned back and watched with a cool grin. The young Dalios was silent and uninterested, gazing at the shiny black table instead.

_Why? Why is Valium in my memories? _Dalios thought with confusion and irritation. _I never even met him until me and the others got sent to this crazy place! But he's hanging out with Magnus Pharos and Neirnyx like they're old friends, and I'm even there! Why don't I remember this?_

Rolly whined, putting one paw on Dalios's leg.

Dalios shook his head. _No, this must be a trick. Valium controls everything here. He can probably insert a fake memory of himself here if he wants. Yeah, that must be it._

But then he thought of the scene with himself and Razekar back in Razekar's world. Was that a trick too?

As the magician Jing painted detailed images of horses in the air with an oversized brush and the lingering smoke on stage, Neirnyx cooed and groomed the young Dalios's hair with her long beak. The other Dalios remained expressionless as he dully watched the many smoky horses merging into a giant horse. The wispy horse then galloped about the stage, and then just over the amazed audiences' heads.

Neirnyx's show of affection did not surprise Dalios. He had always been favored by Neirnyx, who would randomly perform shapeshifting tricks for his entertainment, or bring him presents. Rolly was one such present, actually, when he began to complain about not having a dog of his own. He would often take advantage of her favoritism when someone was harassing him, or when he couldn't get what he wanted on his own. He was around Neirnyx more than his parents, actually, who were strangely ordinary people in a collection of extraordinary beings.

"You know, we should have a karaoke bar," suggested the younger Valium, gulping down a bottle of a bright green liquid. "Watching people trying to sing to a song in another language would be most entertaining."

"Hmm…I was thinking we'd need a fourth wing first," Pharos replied, popping a cherry into his mouth. "We could always build your karaoke bar in there."

"True, that could work," said the younger Valium. "Though I thought we just built a new wing."

"Yeah, a couple months ago," answered Pharos. "But it won't take long to fill up."

"But building just a new karaoke bar would be a lot less of a pain. I'm tired of massive construction work," Neirnyx chimed in, gobbling up grapes before turning to the young white-haired boy beside her. "Now what do you think, Dalios? Should we have a new wing or just a new karaoke bar? Hmm?"

Dalios's young double looked up to Neirnyx drowsily.

"…Huh?"

Pharos and Valium chuckled together.

"That's a little advanced for your little pet, isn't it?" Valium questioned with a sly smirk.

"Har-har, beak-nose," the scarlet phoenix growled, putting a wing around the mildly confused child. "One day he will be perfect, certainly more perfect than you. Right, Dalios?"

"_Si senora Neirnyx_?" the other Dalios asked, green eyes still sleepy.

The two men began guffawing while Neirnyx silently seethed.

Dalios watched for a couple moments more, and then rose from his seat. _This isn't getting me anywhere. I need to find the others first. This memory thing can wait until then._

"Is something wrong?" the waiter Jing asked worriedly, having just arrived with their meal. "Do you want your meal to go?"

"Sure," replied Dalios, picketing the apple and tossing the bone to an eager Rolly.

"Thank you for your-" the waiter Jing began, but by then Dalios and Rolly were already leaving.

IIIIII

The first person Dalios saw in the next room was a Razekar in the tuxedo outfit from his memory world. He was bound by ropes and being grimly escorted by two Falcons. The first Falcon was dressed in a police outfit, and the other was clothed in a white bearskin. Several Kirs were floating around them curiously. The other albatrosses were preoccupied by different distractions, mainly Stirs.

A Falcon in red clothes stomped over to the other two fair-haired fighters. He yanked them away from the tuxedo-wearing Razekar despite their loud protests, leaving the tuxedo-dressed Razekar by himself. He instantly eradicated the ropes binding him with a few jolts of electricity, and then walked away.

Some of the electricity went astray and shocked Dalios, causing him to fall over stunned. Rolly hurried over to him and started whining, and Dalios gave him a few pats to let the worried mutt know he was okay.

The tuxedo-dressed Razekar never looked back at either of them once.

Dalios grumbled as he sat up and began to flatten his hair, which was standing on end from the unexpected zap.

"Hey, you okay?"

Dalios looked up to see a Jing dressed in the usual Bandit King outfit of an orange coat with dark gray clothes underneath, looking concerned. His nose was unusually long and his hair was more dark gray than black.

"Yeah," Dalios replied, getting back up on his feet. "So which Jing are you?"

"The real one of course!" announced the long-nosed Jing, straightening up and folding his arms, a proud smile on his face.

Dalios studied him with a cynical expression. _Which means he's probably _not_ the real one. _Now that the white-haired boy was standing again, he noticed that this Jing was shorter than the others.

"Yep, I'm the greatest Bandit King that there ever was!" the long-nosed Jing blathered on. "Nobody can ever catch me! Not the guy who can steal the very stars out of the sky!"

Then he took one step forward, tripped over his own coat, and fell flat on his face.

Dalios barely refrained from laughing.

_Nope, definitely not Jing._

The obvious fake picked himself off the ground and held his long nose, muttering about how bad it would look in front of the ladies.

Dalios examined him closer, his amused look fading into astonishment. _No…definitely not Jing at all. _"Kir?" he asked, some mirth seeping into his voice despite himself.

The false Bandit King gave a start, and two small black wings popped out of his back. "W-What are you talking about? I'm not an albatross! I'm a king! A Bandit King! Bandit Kings are way cooler than albatrosses!" He began laughing nervously.

Dalios grew more serious. "A Burdensome Gun is literally shaped by their master's personality and will before they even leave the egg. So their master is everything to them."

The flighty smile left the albatross boy's lips, replaced by a more somber, almost sad expression. "…You wouldn't to happen to know where he is, would you?" A Jing wearing a cowboy hat passed, but the albatross boy took no notice.

Dalios smiled. "No, but you can help me find him, Kir."

Dalios raised his hand into the air, causing several silver strings to shoot up from the supposedly solid floor. The emerald-eyed boy twisted his wrists, and the strings attached to the Kir-Jing. With another twist of his wrists the free ends of the many silver filaments attached to the other Kirs in the room, with some of the strings extending beyond the room. He clenched both fists, and all the other Kirs melted into fantasy and joined with the Kir-Jing. The hues wrapped into a cocoon around him, and eventually molded itself into the shape of the original Kir.

Dalios let out a sigh of relief. So he was right. "Welcome back Kir."

The black albatross gave Dalios a blank stare. "Welcome back? Welcome back to where? And where is every-" Then he gawked at the sight of the multiples of his friends walking about them casually. "_Huh_? What's going on here?"

"It's a long story…" Dalios replied with a long sigh. "Let's just say that everyone needs some help pulling themselves back together thanks to Valium." _And my failure._

"But how are we supposed to do that?" asked Kir,

"Just leave that to me," stated Dalios, snapping his fingers to summon a few strings. "I can use these to gather them back together, but I need to find out which one of these fragments walking around is their "core" piece in order for it to work. Raze and Falcon I can figure out easily enough since I've known them for a while, but you know the others better than I do."

"So…you just pulled me back together a couple seconds ago?" Kir asked. "I don't really remember anything. I hardly remember anything about the _last_ world, for that matter."

"That doesn't surprise me. It was a big mess," Dalios said. _Understatement of the century._

"So how do you summon those strings and stuff anyway?" asked Kir. "I don't remember hearing about that from Razekar or anyone else back at Pharos's place."

"It's a power that just emerged when I was in Razekar's world," Dalios explained. "I…don't really know how it works, really. I just automatically seem to know what to do. It's…kinda hard to put into words. I know it's weird." He himself was bothered by how little he understood his new abilities.

"Whatever, as long as you know what…" Kir began, before pausing and staring at something over Dalios's shoulder. "Hey, ain't that _you_ over there?"

Dalios turned to see a younger version of himself standing next to a younger version of Valium. They were a couple years older than they had been at the restaurant scene. The two of them were looking at a black-and-green plant in a dark red pot. It was a gnarled, thorny thing that bore a single bright red bloom.

"Plants are really wondrous life-forms, aren't they?" spoke the brown-haired Valium, bending over the short vegetation and smiling warmly. "They don't make noise, they don't have or need emotions, and they only complain when they aren't getting the nutrients they need. They just stay in one place and slowly expand, concerned only about their own survival. The world would be so peaceful if there were only plants. Right, Dalios?"

The other Dalios looked up at Valium, and then back to the plant. "…Animals are more fun, though. Plants are boring. All you can do is look at them and water them."

"Ah, but you can watch them grow," said Valium.

"They take forever to grow, though," Dalios replied, his flat tone containing the slightest traces of irritation.

Valium gave a low, dry laugh. "That's so they can outlast the animals."

The current Dalios watched as both the younger Valium and other Dalios walked away.

"Who was that guy the other you was talking to?" asked Kir.

"That was Valium," Dalios stated simply.

"_That_ was Valium? The guy we're supposed to be after?" Kir exclaimed, feathers standing on end.

"Well, _that_ Valium was a memory, but the real him is around here somewhere," explained Dalios. "Everything is especially strange here. This is really supposed to be _my_ memory world, but I don't remember any of this stuff at all."

"Wait, if we're inside your memories, how come you're still walking around and not trapped someplace?" questioned Kir, folding his wings in human fashion and raising an eyebrow. The other people were exiting the room.

"That's the other thing that's been bothering me," admitted Dalios. "Maybe things were so screwed up in the last world that this one didn't form properly. Maybe it doesn't work on me because I can manipulate the system of this place to some extent. Maybe I _am_ trapped someplace and I'm just dreaming everything right now, though it sure doesn't feel like it…" _Or maybe Valium let me be free on purpose, so I could play his little game. What's he really up to?_

"This is making my head hurt," whined Kir.

"Yeah, mine too."

Suddenly the room around them transformed, twisting into a confusing mass of color. The chaos only lasted for a moment before it reformed into a giant ballroom.

"Great, this place is unstable too," muttered Dalios, as he and Kir took in their new surroundings. The shiny floor had alternating tiles colored mauve and gold, with a rainbow-colored chandelier hanging high above. The walls and ceiling were buried under a thick layer of random items, as could be expected of any room in Pharos's palace.

Waltz music drifted lazily in the air, as many people danced about. Most of the dancers were Jings. Some were partnered with others, with an even split between those who danced with a Stir and those who danced with a Cassis. Others danced alone, without a hint of loneliness. Most danced slowly along with the music, but a few danced crazily to their own unheard beat. Razekars were also plentiful. There were a few dancing Falcons, who were surprisingly graceful dancers at that.

"So, any ideas Kir?" asked Dalios.

Kir looked flabbergasted and overwhelmed. "There's so many of them! I don't know where to start!"

Dalios sighed. "Well, which ones do you think _aren't_ the real Jing?"

Kir flew up and surveyed the room from above, studying a laughing Jing, a crying Jing, a sleeping Jing, an angry Jing, a silent Jing staring off into space. He quietly sank back down to Dalios. "I…I dunno…"

"What do you mean you don't know?" asked Dalios, folding his arms and giving the black albatross an annoyed look. "He's your partner. You've spent all your life with him. You should know him better than any of us."

"I know! I know!" Kir screeched, before settling down on the floor next to Rolly. "I should know him better than anyone else, but I don't. I thought I understood him, but I was wrong. Now that I know what really happened to his mom…he's like a completely different person to me now. I'm not sure if I could find the real Jing among fakes even if he was in one piece, much less find his core among all these fragments of him."

"Great…" Dalios muttered to himself. "Still, I understand what you mean. That's kinda how I feel with Raze and Falcon now. I never knew what they had gone through before coming to Pharos's palace. Makes me feel like a jerk when I think back to those times when I would whine to them about something stupid. I can be pretty pathetic sometimes."

"You don't seem pathetic to me," said Kir.

"That's because you haven't known me long enough," Dalios replied with a self-depreciating smile. "But this isn't getting use anywhere. The others are depending on us to be strong. Right, Kir?"

Kir grinned and gave him an affirmative nod. "Right."

Dalios scanned the room's inhabitants again, looking for conspicuous clues. But his mind wandered even then.

_We should have never have come here. What this has done to everyone…it's horrible. I cannot trust anything here, but if these memories have even a grain of truth…Magnus Pharos, Neirnyx, why did you send us here? Why did you send _me_ here?_

_IIIIII_

_Poor Dalios, he will be very busy these next few chapters (a total of 3 to 4, depending). Then the finale, which will be 2-3 chapters. The end is in sight! XD_

_So what do you thnk of this "shattering" development? Does it make sense at least somewhat? XP_

_Next chapter will be a little while, as I have other projects I am working on, but not too long. It needs a few adjustments and is a bit longer, but nothing too serious. It is the chapter after that (or the one that follows that chapter) that needs work: it's one of the areas where I still need to write some rough for it._

**_NEXT CHAPTER: Dalios continues to seek for the cores of his friends...though some may not need his help. Is he so busy looking for the fragments of others that he doesn't see a ragged shard aimed for his own heart? And then Jing is another matter entirely..._**

_Cya!_


	26. Almost the Real Thing

_Hi once again! Here's the next chapter! Once again, not terribly long, but a lot of stuff happens in it. Remember to review!_**  
**

**63rd Shot: Almost the Real Thing**

Guessing wrong at which fragment was the person's core did not bring the whole world down on everyone head's. The strings simply withdrew without anything happening. For this Dalios was grateful. Otherwise he would have destroyed everyone several tries over trying to figure out Jing. He had tried a burglar Jing, a womanizer Jing, the magician Jing he had been watching earlier, and a poker-playing Jing, to name a few. He felt tempted to blame Kir for it (he was following his advice after all), but he knew the Bandit King had never been an easy person to read under normal circumstances, much less anything like this.

After another miss, this time with a royal Jing, Dalios and Kir slumped against the wall and sighed. Rolly laid down at Dalios's feet.

"We gotta be missing something here," Dalios muttered, folding his arms. "Hey Kir, what's Jing's strongest passion, as far as you can tell?"

"That'd be treasure, of course," Kir chirped, before his expression grew more somber. "Well, really it's more like the _act_ of stealing, over the actual treasure…or maybe it's more like outwitting everyone else? Having fun by defying the odds?"

"Hmm…" Dalios replied, holding his chin. _That's the real problem. Neither of us are really sure what Jing's passions are, at least right now. He took his old memories pretty bad…_

"Dangit, maybe I should try fusing with some of these guys," Kir muttered to himself. "…Then again, the transformation was backfiring even when Jing was in one piece, so…"

Dalios turned to Kir in alarm. "Wait, what do you mean _backfiring_? You mean the two of you can't activate Gun mode anymore?"

"Yeah," Kir explained. "The energy gets all screwed up and Jing ends up getting fried. It was sorta working for a while in Razekar's world, but not really…It was a different kind of Gun mode, one that was a lot bigger and more powerful, but also a lot more unstable. Jing was getting hurt, but he insisted on using it anyway…."

Dalios frowned. _Damn, that's bad. Burdensome Gun forms and compatibility are determined by the person's mental state. Burdensome Guns are made to adjust to minor shifts in the mind, so they stay in sync with their owners over a long period of time. But Jing…if his mental state has changed so much that Kir's body no longer recognizes him as the same person…It's like a stranger strapping on Kir and trying to use him. No wonder Kir Royale keeps backfiring!_

"What's up?" questioned Kir.

"…I think Jing's the wrong one to start with," Dalios finally answered. "We need the others in one piece first. After that we can figure out Jing together."

Dalios went into the next room, which was a gym. Dalios thought this was strange, as he was sure this door led to a dining hall. It was full of treadmills, weights, punching bags, and trampolines that bounced their users almost to the ceiling. Several lines of blue mats circled the room.

There were several Falcons, of course, striking the punching bags or dashing around the track. Also present were many Razekars, doing push-ups or electric target practice. There were quite a few Jings, doing various things, but they were everywhere anyway. There were smatterings of Stir and Cassis as well, but what amused Dalios the most were a Stir and Cassis paired together near the weights. They chatted about boys and thrilling fights they had seen recently.

_So some part of them get along_, thought Dalios. _They're pretty similar, really. Sure, one's a princess and the other's from the country, but both of them are stubborn but caring at heart. They probably _would_ get along pretty well if they both didn't like the same guy…Hmm…I wonder…_

"What're ?" asked Kir, noticing Dalios's long silence.

"Just gonna check something real quick," Dalios replied, raising his hands up. The silver threads slithered out of the floor, causing the ground to ripple.

"Huh?" asked Kir. "You think those two are-"

"It's worth a shot," said Dalios, keeping his eyes focused on the two girl buddies. "Haven't destroyed the world yet for being wrong, so…"

With two twists of his twists, the mystical fibers bound themselves to the Stir and Cassis. Another two twists and the other end of the strings sought out all the other girls present. Dalios snapped both fingers.

Suddenly the other girls melted into colors and flowed toward the ones at the center. Two liquid cocoons formed, and they slipped away to reveal the true Stir and Cassis.

"…Huh?" Cassis asked drowsily. "…What happened this time?"

"I…don't know," Stir answered, just as dazed. "Maybe…we're out of Valium's world now?"

Then both girls got a good look at the multiple clones of Jing, Falcon, and Razekar walking around them.

"…Nope…" said both of them dryly.

"Well whaddaya know, you were right!" exclaimed Kir to Dalios. "Gee, I dunno why you even bothered to bring me along. You're doing just fine by yourself, Dal!"

"Don't call me Dal…" Dalios retorted dully.

"Why not? Everyone else does."

"I know, and I hate it…" Dalios answered. "It sounds so…childish."

"Hey, can you two explain what the hell is going on?" asked Cassis, arms folded. She once again glanced to the clones. "…Or do we even _want_ to know at this point?"

Dalios took a deep breath, knowing that he would probably have to give this explanation several times more before it was all over.

_IIIIII_

"…So basically everyone else is a walking jigsaw puzzle?" asked Cassis, as they searched for an exit out of the gym. They swore they had seen one before. "And now we hafta round 'em up and figure out how to put them back together?"

"Well, if we can find out which piece is the person's core, then it's easy for me to pull them all back together," Dalios explained, carrying Rolly in his arms. "The problem is figuring out who's the core among all the fragments."

"I see there's no shortage of Jing to go around," Stir noted dryly, looking over to where the Jings were talking, sleeping, and exercising.

"Yeah," Kir agreed. "Looks like there's finally enough Jing for the both of you."

Both girls silently scowled at Kir. The black albatross smiled nervously, but said nothing more.

Dalios began to chuckle when the room dissolved into psychedelic colors again. As before, the distortion only lasted for a few moments before the area was reformed into a different room.

The new incarnation of the space was dark, the only light coming from weaved figures of silver string. There were thousands, stretching far into the distance of the blackness.

_Neirnyx's room_, thought Dalios, noting that he owed the others an explanation for where they were. Then he owed them an explanation as to why he never told them about the truth of Pharos's palace in the first place…

He took a deep breath, turned around, and found that no one else was behind him. Even Rolly had disappeared.

"…Guys?" Dalios called uncertainly. "Hey guys! Princess! Blondie! Kir! Rolly! Where are you?"

There was no reply, not even an echo of his own voice in the vast space.

_They must've gotten taken somewhere else…_thought Dalios. _Damn, this is going to be a pain…_

Somewhere in the wide darkness a door opened, a long ray of white light stabbing the blackness. Through this new opening entered Pharos, Neirnyx, Valium and himself. None of them looked much younger than they were now, except that Valium's hair and beard were gray instead of white. They were all laughing, chattering about some poor saps they had pulled tricks on, and how the mind was such so easily influenced by fantasy and wishes.

Dalios had no time to move aside, but it didn't matter. All four merry figures passed right through him, as if he were nothing but a human-shaped cloud.

"Oh, that was so worth it!" chortled Neirnyx, who turned to the other Dalios. "Wasn't it, child?"

The other Dalios laughed. "Wind rye, blight bye."

The others, including the real Dalios, gave the emerald-eyed boy a blank stare.

"What was that now?" asked Valium, smirking a little.

The other Dalios appeared cross. "Great straight fire frame by time spend! Bend?" It occurred to the real Dalios that he was probably shifting through multiple languages too.

"Neirnyx, he's speaking gibberish again," stated Pharos, glancing at the sinewy red bird.

Neirnyx's feathers ruffled up and burned at the tips, as she emitted a trill of frustration. She began to stalk over to the other Dalios, who merely gazed at her in confusion.

"How many times do I have to fiddle with you before you speak properly?" she hissed, her graceful neck bent low as she glared at the other white-haired boy.

"…Lie so fast?" answered the other Dalios uneasily.

"Now now, Neirnyx, practice makes perfect," Valium spoke, wagging a finger at her.

"Shut up beak-nose," she retorted.

"You're one to talk," he replied smoothly.

Neirnyx made more angry warbling sounds, and then spread out her wings suddenly. Silver strings swarmed everywhere like worms desperate to reach the sky. They quickly bound and lifted the now-frightened other boy.

What happened after that changed everything.

**IIIIII**

Somewhere in the darkness, the real Valium grinned.

"Now will you understand, familiar one?"

Moments later, a certain white-haired boy appeared behind the lanky old man. He looked up to Valium with hard eyes.

"Tell me everything."

**IIIIII**

"Hey Dalios! Dal! Where'd you go?" called Kir, as he traveled with Cassis and Stir down a twisty hallway. The entire passage was shaped like the curving path of a snake, and was coated in green-and-purple splotches. Diamonds glittered on the black ceiling like faux starlight.

"Dammit, we need him here if he's the only one who can pull everyone back together," Stir muttered, folding her arms.

"Well, he can manipulate stuff here, right?" asked Cassis, who was trying to calm an excessively whiny Rolly. "So if he really needs to get back to us, he will, right?"

"I suppose," Stir replied. "But that also means any of us could get split up at any time. That's the last thing we need."

"You've got a point," Cassis answered, picking up and petting the anxious Rolly. "But in the meantime we still need to find our which people are the cores. Even if Dalios isn't here right now, we could bring the cores to him later, or at least point him in the right direction."

"Yeah!" replied Kir, flying in circles around Stir and Cassis. "Between the three of us we should be able to tell, right?"

As they went around the sharpest bend yet, the end of the serpentine hallway came into view. There was a bright orange door with black trimming and a purple doorknob.

"Right," Stir agreed, as she went ahead and opened the door. "We can do this."

The light flooding through the doorway was blinding. As soon as everyone stopped seeing spots, they noticed the quaint little white town before them. Flowing through that little white town were hundreds of Jings, their orange coats like a hurricane of ginger leaves.

The three non-Jings couldn't help but stare.

"…You have _got_ to be kidding me," Cassis muttered.

_**IIIIII**_

"Which core should I track down now?" Dalios muttered blandly, as he ambled down yet another hallway of doors. Like everywhere else, the myriad collection of objects on the walls made the place narrower than it should have been. "Does it even matter?"

Fragments of the others occasionally passed him, but he didn't pay much attention to them. They didn't have near enough power to be one of the cores. Power…of course the core would have the most power. Why didn't he think of that before? Though perhaps power wasn't quite the right word for it…but it was close enough. If only the connecting strings weren't so tangled, he could easily use them to trace the cores.

A teal door creaked open three doors down.

Dalios paused. "There's a strong one. And a weaker one too."

An angry Falcon dressed in bright red pushed the door aside, dragging a laughing Falcon behind him. The two of them entered the cobalt door straight across from the teal one.

"…But is it the core?" Dalios wondered quietly, as he too went into the room with the deep-blue door.

Upon entering, Dalios found himself in a swarm of Falcons. The red-dressed Falcon left seconds after coming in, and the laughing Falcon went to join the others. It seemed impossible that so many golden-haired Chesirians could fit into one stone-walled room. All of the talking, shouting, crying, and snoring threatened to give Dalios a headache as he tried to calculate all of their power levels.

_Why are there so many Falcons in one place? _wondered Dalios. _Even if they started in the same spot, which is unlikely, they should have dispersed by now…There doesn't appear to be anything preventing them from leaving…_

The red-dressed Falcon returned, this time pulling along a sad-eyed Falcon, and then slammed the door behind him as he once again went outside.

_Unless…has that Falcon been corralling all the other Falcons here?_ Dalios thought. _There_ have_ been less and less Falcons wandering around the longer I've been here…_

The red-dressed Falcon threw open the door once more, tossed in a yawning Falcon, and then solemnly closed the door. He went up onto a small wooden stage at the front of the room, chased off some performer Falcons, and took his place at the edge of the platform.

_Yes, he must be-_

"Hey! Listen up!" shouted the red-dressed Falcon. "_Hey_!"

The other Falcons abruptly hushed, as they turned toward the red-dressed Falcon.

"You guys are pathetic!" hissed the red-dressed Falcon, his ice-hued glare set on the crowd. "How could we fall apart at a time like this? Everyone needs us!"

There were apologetic murmurings among the other Falcons.

"Quiet!" snapped the red-dressed Falcon.

The others immediately complied.

_Why am I waiting_? wondered Dalios. Was he that interested in what the core had to say? There was no doubt that this was Falcon's core, both by his superior power level and his overwhelming influence over the other Falcons.

"We don't want to be alone again, do we?" questioned the red-dressed Falcon, starting to pace slowly as he kept his ice-blue eyes on his submissive audience. "Remember when we wandered aimlessly through the countries alone? No, the rabbits don't count as people. Remember how we wanted to be with other people, but there was no one to be with? Do you want that again?"

The other Falcons shifted uneasily.

"But now we've got people to be with, people to protect," the red-dressed Falcon went on, stopping his pacing. "If we don't protect them, we'll lose them, and we'll be alone again. We don't want to lose them." At this the red-dressed Falcon paused, as his eyes lowered and his expression softened. "We…can't afford to lose them."

The other Falcons quietly nodded in agreement.

Then the red-dressed Falcon turned to Dalios, his gaze mildly irritated. "…That includes you too, you know."

Dalios's eyes widened. _How did he-_

"Alright everybody! Let's go! Let's go!" commanded the red-dressed Falcon, grinning and pounding his fist sideways into his palm.

The other Falcons dissolved into living color, which wrapped around the red-dressed Falcon like a liquid eggshell.

"W-What?' Dalios murmured, staring as the hues willfully gathered together. "But I…didn't do anything…"

The cocoon of shades reformed into the real Falcon, who blinked and looked about in confusion.

"Hey Dal, what happened?" he asked, turning his wide gaze to the white-haired boy.

"…I'm still not sure," Dalios replied.

_**IIIIII**_

"Here's the _real_ Jing!" Cassis shouted.

"No, I telling you, _this_ is the real Jing!"

"Uh, ladies, please…" Kir said, hovering uneasily above the bickering girls, each with their own Jing in tow. Stir's Jing wore white knight armor under his coat, while Cassis's Jing wore a baseball uniform beneath his coat instead. Both Jings looked bored. Rolly was lying on the ground a few feet away, whining with his tail between his legs.

"Oh please, like Jing's any knight in shining armor," Cassis retorted, eyeing the Jing behind Stir and smirking. "Believe me, I should know."

"Well, I didn't know Jing was such an avid baseball fan," stated Stir, folding her arms and leering at the other Jing.

"Oh yeah? We used to play baseball together all the time with the other boys," Cassis answered with a smug grin, also folding her arms.

"He probably did it because you threatened to bash his head in with your baseball bat if he didn't," Stir responded coolly, shaking her head. "So tactless."

"He played because we were friends!" snapped Cassis, pointing her bat at Stir. "We've been close ever since we first met back when we were little kids! You knew him for, what, two days? Then he left you, just like all those other girls before you!"

"Hey girls, wait a -" Kir began.

"Neither of us really knew him until we got a glimpse into his head," Stir replied, pointing her sword at Cassis. "He's not the innocent child you think he is. He stopped being that long before you met him."

"And he's not the Prince Charming you think he is either!" barked Cassis. "All that smooth talk was just him pretending to be the cool-and-perfect Bandit King of legend! Maybe my Jing doesn't exist anymore, but yours never existed at all!"

The two girls leered at each other, their weapons still raised. Unnerved by the sudden tension, both the knight Jing and the baseball play Jing slipped back into the migrating crowd of Jings around them. It took both girls a few moments to notice this. Then they lowered their weapons and turned away from each other in a huff.

"Fine. I don't need your help anyway, princess," Cassis growled, keeping her back turned as she rested her baseball bat across her shoulders. "C'mon Kir, let's go find Jing."

"Huh? Uh…" Kir said, looking back and forth between Cassis and Stir, before finally following Cassis. "Wait up!"

Stir never turned around herself. Instead she looked down at Rolly, who was now quietly sitting at her feet. "So it's just you and me, huh?" She and Rolly began walk in the opposite direction. "I'll find you yet, Jing."

_**IIIII**_

Her Jing was gone, Stir had said, had been gone long before she had ever laid eyes on him.

Cassis wouldn't believe it.

Even though the flood and the loss of his mother had devastated him, he still walked on. Even if he had to use the legend of the Bandit King as a crutch, he could still stand. Even if those demons poisoned his past and present, he could still smile.

The Jing she knew was…

As Cassis narrowly avoided getting run over by a mailman Jing on a motorcycle, she noticed a young Jing peeking around the corner. He was about ten years old, his gray eyes wide and bright.

Cassis froze. _That's_ _him. _"Heeey, Jing!"

All the passing Jings paused and turned to Cassis, their gray eyes puzzled.

"Uh, Cassis…" Kir began.

"Dammit, that's right, everyone's Jing here," Cassis muttered to herself. "Hey, kid! Over here!"

The young Jing yelped, disappearing into the alleyway.

"Wait!" Cassis called, running after him while Kir followed.

When they went into the alley, psychotic graffiti smeared across the walls in eye-searing neon colors. Phrases such as _Ho! Ho! Ho!_, _Everything precious, even your life_, _I am Jing, I have no weakness_, and _Bandit Kings don't need heaven or hell_ were plastered everywhere. Dozens of wide-grinning, swirly-eyed cat faces were scrawled between and even overlapping said words, and even each other.

Cassis and Kir stared at it all, the feline chimera of brightly-colored smiles and words.

"God, this is just like…" Cassis began.

They heard impish giggling and spun around. The young Jing was sitting on the wall above them, smiling. An orange cat tail swished back and forth behind him like an impatient snake.

"…Jing?" Cassis asked.

The child's smile grew wide, too wide, as his tail fluffed up. His pupils turned into catlike slits.

"Watch out!" called Kir.

The feline youngster pounced on Cassis, knocking her down. He snatched her hat, bounced off her, and then scampered down the alleyway.

"Hey, get back here!" snapped Cassis, getting back onto her feet and sprinting after the cat-tailed boy. She had only gotten a few feet when all the psycho graffiti peeled off the walls and blocked her way. The cat faces grew fangs and cackled into high-pitched voices as they grew closer, while the words grew larger and larger.

"Outta my way!" yelled Cassis, charging forward with her bat held high. She smashed through the insane swarm of words and cat faces, smashing several per strike. They fell onto the ground in confetti-like pieces, melting into colorful droplets as they touched the dirt below. Several minutes later she stood leaning on her bat, as the last face finally fell in pieces and splattered on the ground. She bore several cuts and bites from the mob of crazy living art.

"…Okay," Cassis gasped to Kir. "Okay, let's…"

Then some of the paint splattered on her slipped off her body, rising into the air like reverse rain. The paint on the ground rose too, and in moments the words and cat faces were reforming anew, more psychotic than ever. Cassis stared in disbelief as the mass of madness started rushing toward them.

"This ain't gonna work, Cassis!" Kir called. "They're just gonna keep regenerating over and over! We gotta get outta here!"

Cassis snarled, but eventually fled out of the alleyway with Kir. She heard giggling and jeering behind her as the mob of graffiti chased them through alley after alley. Only when the laughter finally faded away did they stop to lean against a building and catch their breath.

"Man, that was close," Kir stated, flying over to Cassis. "Guess we'll hafta find that brat later and get your hat back."

Cassis looked up at the flawless blue sky, her gaze distant. "It was just like…that time…"

"Hmm?" asked Kir.

"When me and the boys came to save you guys from prison," Cassis explained. "Only…"

"Me and Jing were already long gone, right?" replied Kir, hovering over her shoulder.

"…Yeah," Cassis answered, still staring upward. "Me and the boys had all these elaborate plans and back-up plans and back-up-back-up plans and everything…But by the time we actually got there, the gates were blown apart and there was no one there at all." She paused, still not looking at Kir. "You guys made a real mess of things. That shabby little place had more holes in it than a sieve. And there was that cat-faced graffiti splattered everywhere, and that _Ho Ho Ho! _graffiti, and a bunch of rambling graffiti that made no sense whatsoever…It was all over…Especially in that solitary cell…"

"Yeah, I remember that," Kir answered. "We were each kept in solitary cells…Well, mine was more of a traditional bird cage, but you get the idea. Didn't see him for a few months. Then he finally figures out how to get out and gets me out too and…well, you saw the results yourself. We went a little nuts…but man, it was so great to wreck that place. Everyone always considers Seventh Heaven the worst prison ever, but _that_ place was the worst for us."

"I could tell," said Cassis. "The boys thought it was the most awesome thing ever, of course. They wanted to make it our base away from home…"

"Well, I wouldn't want to go back there myself. I know Jing wouldn't," said Kir. "But hey, it was our real start. After that was when we started getting real good at stealing stuff, you know. Didn't want to get caught ever again. So I guess it's a monument of sorts."

Cassis nodded numbly. She was still thinking back to that cell, cats and cat faces etched into the black walls, with the words _You are Jing. Fear does not exist. You are Jing. Weakness does not exist _and its Chesirian equivalent scratched on top of it all. It covered the walls, the ceiling, and even the door and the floor. _Dae uso Jing. You are Jing. Ista nu motimo. Fear does not exist. Dae uso Jing. You are Jing. Ikas nu motimo. Weakness does not exist. You are Jing. I am Jing. I am Jing. Weakness nu motimo. Fear nu motimo. Jing. Jing. Jing…The Bandit King is Jing. The Bandit King is -_

"So whad'ya guys do after you discovered we were already gone?" asked Kir.

"…Huh? Oh. We looked for you, of course," Cassis began. "We started traveling, not far first, but eventually we left Amarcord altogether. We had problems getting by sometimes, but we all loved the adventure of it, and we couldn't wait until we found you guys and we could all explore the world together, then come back to Amarcord famous…" She smiled a bit at this thought.

"But then when you finally _did_ find us, all this crap with Pharos happened, and now we're stumbling around in mind-mazes," Kir commented, sighing. "Man, I haven't even thought of what we're gonna do about Pharos yet. This Valium guy's tough enough as it is."

"No kidding," Cassis replied, also sighing. "And…everything's just changed so much, even before we got stuck in this place…" _Jing's changed so much, even before we got stuck in this place…The boy I found, he wasn't the one I'd lost. _She began to walk down another colorless street.

"Cassis?" asked Kir, gliding after her.

"…Where are you Jing?" Cassis asked tiredly. "I want to go home."

_**IIIIII**_

"Rolly! Rolly, come back here! I command you!"

Not a drop of Cassis's royal blood mattered when an orange corgi mutt was in hot pursuit of an orange cat. The fleeing feline zigged and zagged through the white streets and white alleys, with the eager mutt and flustered princess not far behind.

_If only Dalios was here_, thought Stir in frustration. _Then that stupid dog would listen…Where is he anyway? If he can manipulate the world to some extent, shouldn't he have reunited us by now, or at least sent us some kind of sign of what's going on?_

The cat found itself face-to-face with a tall white wall. Rolly charged forward.

"Behave…yourself…Rolly," Stir panted, as she leaned against a wall. "We have more important things to be doing than chasing cats."

"Like what?"

Stir looked up and saw a Jing standing before her, wearing the typical dark-gray clothes under the long orange coat. He was holding a very surprised and confused Rolly in his arms. The cat, if there had been any cat at all, vanished.

"…Where did you come from?" Stir questioned warily.

"From the country of Cheshiria," the Jing answered casually, petting Rolly a few times and then putting him down. The orange mutt calmly laid down a few feet away, his back turned to both of them. "Though it seems Valium's origins are far murkier."

"I don't see how knowing where Valium comes from would-" Stir began, before she stared at the Jing. "Wait, how do you-"

"-Know who Valium is?" finished the Jing, smirking. "Though a heart can be broken, it can never be destroyed."

Stir's eyes grew wide.

"It's been a while since I've stolen both your mask and your sorrows," Jing said, as he began to saunter toward Stir. He summoned the Vintage Smile from nowhere, and then made it vanish just as easily. "You have come a long way since then."

"And I still have a long way to go," Stir stated, still watching him carefully.

"Knowing that proves your progress, doesn't it?" Jing answered, suddenly behind Stir.

The silver-haired princess spun around, only to be caught in an embrace.

"But it's alright now, princess," he spoke, resting his forehead against hers. "I'm here to steal you away from this place."

Stir closed her eyes, and then extracted herself from his hold. "…You're not the real Jing."

"…Oh?" he asked, sounding amused rather than insulted. "What makes you think that, princess?"

"You're that Jing that was in control when we were in Razekar's mind," Stir stated, looking straight at him. "You're the fantasy."

Stir heard the Bandit King chuckle.

"And what's so funny?" asked Stir crossly.

The Bandit Jing shook his head, still smirking. "Have you ever heard of the tale of the man and his shadow?"

"A long time ago, when I was little," Stir answered. "I don't really remember it though."

"There was a man and his shadow," the Bandit King began. "The man wanted his shadow to have life, so the shadow was given life, though it was an inferior life to its master's. But as time passed, the man relied more and more on his shadow, so the shadow became more and more real. So it went on for years, until the shadow became a man himself. Meanwhile the man became the shadow, and by the end he was not even that, discarded by his original shadow." The Bandit King grinned. "Interesting story, don't you think?"

"I always thought it was a stupid story," Stir growled back.

"Is that so?" questioned the Bandit King, still smiling. "And yet it holds more truth than most stories I know. I see it happening to people almost every day."

"I suppose you consider yourself the shadow that became real," Stir stated coolly.

"Of course," he responded unapologetically, bowing. "My other self couldn't face reality without his mother -" The purple-and-green cat mask materialized in one hand. "-So I became his mask," he finished, now donning the false feline face. "The more he fled, the more I became his true self. After all, there is no room in this world for cowards, right princess?"

"My name is Stir," she stated firmly, leering at the Bandit King. "And there would be no shadow if the man himself did not exist. Maybe you should consider that, Bandit King."

"Ah, but do you remember why the shadow was able to become fully real?" asked the Bandit King.

"He left his master," said Stir. "No, the man sent away his shadow to investigate something, and the shadow didn't return until years later. By then he was rich, dressed up in fancy clothes, and was only visiting the man because he felt like it."

"But he was still a shadow then, although he appeared human," the Bandit King corrected. "And he was very self-conscious of this incompleteness, despite his success and the man's continued failures. He knew that, despite his immense triumphs, there was still something else he needed to be truly real."

"So what was it?" Stir asked.

He took off his mask, and smiled. "He met a beautiful princess, and adored her. Only because of that desire was he able to completely sever his ties with the man, and become a real being."

Stir stiffened in shock. Was he saying-

"I love you, my princess," he said, lowering to one knee and holding the cat mask to his chest. "It is because of you that I sincerely exist. You are the true timeless treasure of the world."

Stir's eyes widened, and then narrowed. "Could you really love anyone other than yourself?"

The Bandit King looked up with a smirk. He pounced up and seized her, his lips locking onto hers. Before Stir could comprehend what was happening, the quick but passionate kiss was over.

"I've done more impossible things," he said, rubbing up against her cheek. "And you should consider which of us you really have feelings for. And which of us has feelings for you."

Then, instead of a Bandit King holding her, there was a bright orange cat with gray eyes sitting on her shoulder. The feline meowed, gave her a lick on the cheek, and then leapt off her shoulder and disappeared over the wall.

The instant the cat was gone, Rolly snapped out of his apparent stupor and began barking wildly, dashing about in a frenzy.

Stir's daze, on the other hand, had only just begun.

**_IIIIII_**

_Yeah, things are starting to escalate now. The next chapter will be a little while, as I have to write a little rough for it. Depending on how much rough needs to be written, there will be either one more or two more chapters to go in this part. Then we'll go to the finale, which will be 2-3 chapters._

_Thank you to everyone who has stuck with this story so far! There isn't that much more to go.  
_

_Cya!_


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